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Assessments are an important aspect of teaching. In order to predict the level a student is working at, educators must record certain observations/assessments. There are many forms of assessments that are conducted in a classroom. Students may need to do a standardizes achievement test such as SAT or ACT exam as indicated on page 229. This week in the school I work in students in grade 5 had to write a CAT 3 test to assess the students language and math abilities. As well the grade 3 & 6 wrote EQAO Government Assessment test that also assess math and language development. These scores will then be used to determine a students aptitude and achievements. One of the assessments that has been indicated in the text is rubrics. Rubrics is a tool used for assessing the students achievements. It could be done in a form of a scale. I have seen teachers in the school I work at using the rubrics assessment while testing the students. The rubrics helps students to understand what areas they need to improve on. Of course like any assessment there are always problems. Some problems that may occur when using a rubric assessment is that you cannot describe the difference between good and excellent. Rubric provides feedback for the students, teachers, administrators and parents. Being able to assess a child's learning development will help with their future accomplishments. Giving the students appropriate feedback and recommendations will help the students recognize the areas of weakness or their strengths. Rubrics are used in many different subject areas. As educators we must realize the importance of using rubrics for our assessments so that we can continue to encourage students to feel positive about their learning. I found this chapter to be extremely informative when it came to giving tips for using rubrics. Page 236 gave some examples of tips that I found useful: "develop rubrics collaboratively with learners"
1) encourage learners to use rubrics to guide them
2) encourage students to explain the rubrics to parents.
Through continued practice of using rubrics for everyday assessments, educators, students and parents will become much more comfortable with assessments.

Teaching children how to use any form of technology today takes on a variety of forms. Reading chapter 7 has allowed me to understand how meaningful learning is evolving. There are 2 basic models; physical and conceptual. Physical models are visible or concrete and a conceptual model is not visible but is all in the human mind.
“Microworld” is something I have never heard of before. It is an “exploratory learning environment.” This helps learners manipulate, explore and experiment different things. This is a good way of learning through interaction. It helps with development of problem solving strategies, critical thinking skills and creativity. I never knew that video-based adventure games are considered microworlds as they are motivating and challenging. This helps them to become regulated and able to control their own learning. This chapter also introduced a variety of computer-based microworlds which are created with a Logo programming language as indicated on pg. 192. Some of the microworlds introduced such as “Star Logo which are a different form of application helps students interact and build microworlds”. (pg. 194)

Simcalc is a program which animates worlds through dynamic graphs that manipulate movement concepts through mathworlds. (pg. 144)

Math Cats is a program which allows students to become familiar with open-ended exploration of math concepts. (pg. 195)

Counting Money is a fun microworld project that allows students to understand aspects of money for example, currency. (pg. 196)

Snowflakes are a type of project where students create snowflakes using different forms of angles. (pg. 197)

There is so much for students to learn by using a computer. A variety of curriculum based subjects can be taught using computers. Many organizations operate programs for children to enhance their education when it comes to computers. For example OWL (Open World Learning) has a program that teaches technology skills to low income children. It allows these children to learn basic skills they need to enhance their use on the computer. This program helps kids receive the best knowledge they can get, regardless of what little they have in their lives. Another interesting piece of information I have gathered from this chapter is regarding virtual realities (VR). This describes three dimensional (3D) animations. Students could use 3D when working on a certain subject area to help give a better perception of what it is they are learning. The students learning through technology will take their education to a new level with much more information and knowledge that will change their learning abilities.

Now a day’s education is taking on many new forms. By introducing many different forms of technology children are able to learn so much more. Multimedia is a new aspect in education today. Children are able to use desktop computers to capture, manipulate sounds, video and sound effects plus a whole lot more. When I was younger computers were only used in work places such as offices, and banks today many can learn quickly how to use a computer. Multimedia allows students to take on different forms when it comes to project presentations in classrooms. They may be inspired to use a power point presentation to capture their audience. Each multimedia comes with it own experience using a variety of our own senses for visual, auditory, olfactory (smell), tactile (touch) and even taste. Being able to visually experience something through technology will help give a vivid description that enhances your senses. There are many forms of multimedia that can be used in a classroom such as videodisks which are able to capture motion, analog video just as a video tape would. They are able to be used on a computer to be replayed. Compact Discs (CD’s) are a big part of technology today. Records and albums are a thing of the past. They are able to hold more music on them and can be played on the computer and even in the car. DVD’s (Digital Versatile Disk) I can’t believe how much technology has changed over the years, now we are able to watch a movie from a little DVD. It is able to hold 133 minutes of video per slide. World Wide Web another form of technology is being able to search on the computer for any information that may need to be researched.
I never heard about hypermedia before reading this chapter. It is an interesting way to convey instructional messages to learners. Students are able to create their own hypermedia this will help reinforce problem solving skills. Students are able to work collaboratively with other students. Another area that I found extremely interesting was the designing of a kiosk for the zoo. Allowing students to take part in an amazing experience is extremely beneficial. Students were able to display the animals from the zoo. Students were involved in talking to zoo visitors and staff. On page 178 of the text it describes how they used on-screen audio recorder, a video tool to operate the videodisk player, color painting and text tools, data-linking tool for connecting pieces of information. Visitors were able to touch the screen and they were able to see the animals, hear the sounds they make as well ad gather any other information about the animals which is printable. I thought this was an excellent way for students to get the hands on experiences they need when learning about the more advanced technology today.

When I think about young children using all this technology it makes me happy to see how advanced children are becoming. From reading this chapter it made me realize that there is so much more for children to learn when it comes to many forms of technology, but how much is too much.
Television has been known as an educational tool for many years as children were able to learn a great deal. They were able to watch Sesame Street and learn numbers and alphabet. Some felt that television viewed as an electronic babysitter. Too much T.V. is something that has been argued for a very long time, if children sit in front of the T.V. for too long they will become lazy. There should be some kind of monitoring of how much T.V. watching is done and what shows they are watching. Children need to become engaged in other activities that stimulate the mind such as reading, socializing and using a computer. Using these other skills will help reinforce problem solving and social skills.
Learning to use other forms of technology such as camcorders, cameras or projectors will create better learning environments for students. These types of devices will make for meaningful learning in a classroom setting. Students will be able to grasp valuable information for hands on learning of how to use a variety of technological devices. I find that many older children are much more technologically advanced that I am. I just recently taught myself how to create a power point presentation, my children needed to present a project and wanted me to show them how to use power point. While we were working on it they found so many neat additions to add, ones I didn’t even know were there. I guess children just have a more hands on approach for trying new things.

Reading this chapter has made me realize just how much technology could be used as teaching devices. Allowing children to video tape each other and use that to critic where they can make adjustments on there learning, is a create way to teach each other. A teacher’s role in this process will be to encourage the students and allow them to figure out for themselves what adjustments need to be made. Allowing younger students to create a school news report on camera will enhance communication among peers and teachers. Digital story telling is another area I found interesting children could use their creative skills. Although there are steps to follow to prepare for this process the students will have encouragement from the teacher who will be overseeing all the planning. Students will begin with a preproduction which consists of researching, writing and organizing information. The students use a story board in order to create a plan so they can begin filming. These story boards could be used as verbal or graphic formats. The students will then gain knowledge on types of camera shots, camera angles and camera movement. The final stages are the postproduction process where students act as editors. This is just one of the many ways technology can be incorporated in an everyday classroom lesson. Students and teachers would be able to create a perfect learning tool to enhance teaching methods for others.

I always wondered about how people are capable of hacking into a personal computer. After reading this article I was amazed to find out how much personal information a hacker can find out. I know that hacking has been around for a while, but it is something I really don’t think about. As this article informed me cracking the human firewall is an easy process, they construct an “identity map” of the individual in which they are interested in hacking. There is a procedure which may take some steps such as “sousveillance, wetware hacking or social engineering. Social engineering provides the key in order for the hacking to succeed. The hackers may use “common internet tools” such as websites, blogs, chat tools, instant messaging and search engines. These internet tools are ones which we may use on a daily basis without any thought of being hacked into. I have never heard of Derridean Archivists before reading this article. What I found interesting about Derrida is that the main concern was dealing with what it takes to “learn to live”. To him learning to live means talking “with ghosts”. Derrida believes that text is haunted by memory and that it may be constructed from ghosts of what may or may not have occurred. Being able to go onto the internet is one way of digging up past history. Technology allows people to be able to use surveillance of people and use a cryptic act of grave digging, forensic data archaeology to collect data from past memories. One sentence that I found extremely interesting was that “internet data is revenant, able to return from the dead to haunt the living”. When we look on the internet for information it is amazing what knowledge we can retrieve. We could learn so much information from the past or present just by a simple click of a button on our computers. People put so much of their personal information on the computers which I feel is not the safest thing to do. What they forget is that a lot of information can easily be spread to public locations causing others to get their hands on your information. Today’s technology allows us to look up any kind of personal information. We are able to find a phone number without an address or an address without a phone number. We are able to get a map of where a person lives as well as specific driving directions of how to get there. It is incredible to the amount of personal information that is exposed on these computers. I never knew what a blog was until I began this course. It is an interesting tool to use but at the same time could cause problems. I didn’t know that someone could get into out blogs and edit any work we have done. This aspect bothers me a bit as I am able to add my thoughts, interesting events or a place to vent and someone else has access to come in and change something. I feel there should be this option to allow others to edit only post a comment. These are just my own personal feelings. Maybe then hackers wouldn’t have such an easy access.

This was one long chapter but an informative one. Technology allows us to come together as a community. We can learn so much from others which would help us to become members of a community. Community building allows for organization skills, and being able to contribute ideas. These types of knowledge-building communities need continuous student and teacher interactions. This style of learning will help teach the importance of trust, support, learn about common goals and respect for diversity. Being able to allow children to explore the world around them will help with respect for others and their cultures. When we teach children about computers from a young age they lose a lot of very important aspects. They lose the important communication cues such as body language and tone of voice just to name a few. I still believe that children need the communication cues to help with social skills and interaction with others.

Today there are many different ways to communicate when it comes to technology. There is never any reason not to be able to get a hold of someone when necessary. Some of the ways to communicate on line are electronic mail, list servers, electronic bulletin boards, chats, video conferencing and groupware support. Each one of these helps us to pass messages on to each other without even leaving your seat. These ways of communicating could be either a good thing or bad. Good in a way so that we can communicate at anytime and get a quick response. On the other hand a bad thing because we don’t communicate face to face anymore and we loose the necessary social skills we need.

There are many areas of Technology that I am not aware of. Some terminologies I have not yet heard of before reading this chapter. Knowledge Forum is a way to allow users to create knowledge-building community. This forum has a data base that helps with problems, hypothesizing, researching, collecting information, collaborating and analysing. All these areas will help students grasp a better understanding of how to use technology when involved in researching information. CaMILE is another tool that allows students to post notes to a discussion groups. This allows others to make suggestions based on what was written. Another interesting form of communication is Swiki, it deals with collaborative writing. This chapter consist of various possibilities that will enforce the technology aspects in everyday situation. Learning different area of technology will help benefit many areas especially problem solving. With continuous teacher support and monitoring students will become technically advanced.

It is so amazing what we could find on the internet. What did we do back in the day when there was no internet? These days children of all ages have the knowledge to use the internet more than some adults. Internet allows for meaningful learning; it helps to enhance creativity, flexibility, problem solving abilities and information finding skills. All these skills will help children to further develop knowledge on the computer.
The internet is a tool that allows users to find information about anything someone is interested in. As indicated in the text, the internet falls into two main categories; they are servers and clients. Servers are used to gather information while client is the machines being used. The internet helps us to find any useful information that may be necessary when researching for any kind of school project or just for your own interest. There are so many interesting aspects when it comes to the internet. It can deliver animations, sounds, music, and much more. Just recently my own children showed me something very fascinating on the internet. It was the virtual web page of an eagle sitting on its eggs before they hatched and it was all live video. This was such an amazing web page. The technology today allows us to learn from everyday situations.
With technology today we are allowed to go almost anywhere and take a computer with you thanks to wireless networks. This allows us as teachers and students to access information from anywhere in the school. The internet also allows students to take online courses so that we don’t need to attend a class. Education has changed so much since the rise in technology. On page 39 of the text it states that 8 out of 10 teachers (84%) believe that the quality of education has improved with computers and access to the internet. As students continue to learn about technology it helps to reinforce their problem solving skills. I was interested to learn about WISE projects which increases classroom interaction and helps them learn about science as it is in the real world. WISE helps students become “critical thinkers” as well as helping them question themselves. There are a variety of resources that are offered to students that can make researching easier. There was so much information presented in this chapter that I have been extremely fascinated with. For example the online expeditions I never knew actually existed so that students can grasp hands-on knowledge. An experience like online expeditions is a great way for students to interact and learn more about other cultures.
Learning the internet has both its positive and negative aspects. The key part is to make sure that the internet is used purely as a learning mechanism. Gaining experience and understanding of the internet will help when further developments are introduced.

When we begin to talk about problem solving we must realize how important it is to understand what the problem is first. If you don’t actually know what the problem is than there is no way to solve it. In this reading it discussed how many actual problems there are to deal with. They came up with 11 different problems that could be encountered. They included troubleshooting, design problems and decision making just to name a few. The text broke down each and explained how they were considered problems.
The part that I was interested in was when it discussed ways in which to use technology to problem solve. When using technology people often get mistaken and feel as though the technology will automatically solve any problems for them. Technology can be tricky at times but if you allow yourself to understand what the problem is then technology would help guide you wherever you need. Another interesting area was how to teach student to search for information on-line. When students are searching for a predetermined answer they are not actually becoming involved in the researching process. They are strictly looking for a specific answer and not allowing themselves to search for other information that may pertain to what they are searching for. When it comes to teaching students how to search the internet, we must ensure that they are following the proper steps. They must plan what it is they are searching for, then they must begin to search but have a strategy in which to understand what information needs to be collected or not. Another step would be to evaluate what information they found. Finally they would need to decide what information is valuable to what they are looking for. In order to have a successful outcome, students need to know the basic steps.
Another interesting part from this chapter was the discussion about mental models as they represent different kinds of knowledge. As stated in chapter 2 “a good mental model allows someone to see the problem”. Being able to understand what the problem is will help find a solution quicker. Decision making is another aspect that is involved when you need to problem solve. It will help someone to analyze what it is they are solving, they will learn to evaluate their choices and commit to the choices they will be satisfied with. It was an interesting chapter it helped me realize the strategies that go along with problem solving.

Before I was enrolled in this course I didn’t know any technological terms when using the computer. This weeks reading helped introduce me to new terminology when using the computer. Weblogs or blogs help students interact with their peers and teachers. It may feel uncomfortable at first as many students don’t want others to view their work. Once you become more comfortable with posting on Weblog it becomes an easy way to communicate your understanding of what has been taught. Receiving feedback from your peers helps you to realize that you are on the right track. From reading this week’s article I believe that Weblogs or blogs will become the way of the future for many classrooms. This process offers a variety of social practices for students as well as communication between teachers and students. Another area of technology I found interesting was the Wikis. Wikis is a term I have never heard before this class. It is basically a webpage that people may be able to view on the internet. Wikipedia also helps as an encyclopaedia which has nearly a quarter million articles. This Wikipedia would be extremely beneficial for many students. Technology has changed offering students today a variety of information without have to visit a library. We can find any information we need by a simple click of a button.
I have always been so hesitant when it comes to using computers. Sometimes too much knowledge about technology can be a scary thing in the hands of the wrong person. There are always so many horror stories about Hackers and what they are capable of doing to your computer. I know that with Weblogs it is different as it is used for the purpose of a learning tool.
Computers for many especially those who are not current with technology will find many new ways of writing journals or diaries, it maybe a bit confusing at first but with continued use and experimenting it will feel like anything else we do. I feel that having Weblogs in classrooms is a great idea; it will help students develop the necessary skills to further enhance their skills when it comes to the use of technology. There is so much out there for many of us to experience when it comes to technology. Having a hand on approach will only make learning new technology easier. I am happy I am able to understand what Weblogs or blogs as I have been in the dark.

This class is so much fun. Who knew giving computers a chance would be so easy. I have been able to play around in the live journal web page and there are many neat things to look at. I think I liked customizing my page the best...it is so cute!!! I have to say that I have some knowledge with working with computers but I have only been to 2 classes I have a lot more information I am happy to have been given the opportunity to play around with the computers and not feel uncomfortable. Jason has a great personality and is very approachable so it makes taking in all this new stuff much easier!!!! I can't wait to be able to access more info and knock the sock off my husband who thinks I can't do anything without his help:)

Testing some changes...

First I have to say this is so cool. I enjoyed reading the first chapter I found it very interesting and informative. It gave me the understanding of how to teach children to use different forms of technology whether computers, digital cameras etc. Allowing technology to become a part of a daily routine has increased over the years.