Laptop prices reduced to be gained by all!
A blog response to- Why Colleges Are Making Laptops A Must-Have
By ALEX ALTMAN
( link to article )
In further research to be below blog I have found a possible solution from America. Lenovo (a computer company) is an exclusive dealer of laptops to universities. Although I am never ok but limited choice in any capacity all it means in this case is that the universities beg for cheaper lap tops and the students get them! It was commented in the article-
“When institutions have purchasing agreements with technology companies, they generate aggressive discounts — more aggressive than the consumer market offers,” says Mike Schmedlen, an education industry executive at Lenovo, the world’s fourth-biggest PC maker.
Would it be possible for a similar system where schools sold computers loaded up with the software programs and the protection devices included as highly reduced prices so that students can take their digital classroom where they want to go!
Poverty and ICT
A blog response to – How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century
WALLIS, C. & STEPTOE, S. (2006). How to Bring Our Schools Out of the 20th Century. Time. Dec. 10, 2006 (link to article)
Before walking to every classroom I would take the work for the day, my classroom keys and my giant pencil case. I hear you thinking. Why a GIANT pencil case? Surly she only needs a couple of pens.
In this pencil case I have
50 blue pens
20 red pens
20 pairs of scissors
20 glue sticks
20 lead pencils.
I brought these so that my class could perform their work. Many of my students did not bring anything from home, for some if was because they were lazy but for a lot it was because of their homelife. Many of my students are dealing with things that I would never want to let alone a child. Many don’t have the funds for stationary for students.
Rather than make these kids feel inadequate or that they are not good enough for school I always bring my GIANT pencil case. If my classrooms turn into digital classrooms I a wondering what I will carry in my GIANT pencil case. I will always have the students through no fault of their own will not have the resources to perform up to par I the classroom. At the moment I do not set homework because I believe that personal time is for personal interested not to complete half a textbook of math questions. If the digital classroom goes ahead in all areas of schooling how are students who can not afford a computer going to complete school work at home? Will the government be giving a computer to each students and a computer to each family? I can lend out my pencils and pens and not worry, homework can get done and at the end of the term and head back to woolies and stock up again. But I will never be able to lend out software? Will the digital generation harm the poorest of our students?
role of wiki
A blog response to- 6 C’s of Motivation
Wang, S. & Han, S. (2001). Six C’s of Motivation. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved 6th nFeb., 2008, (link to article)
Although this article was relevant and useful it is not the main focus on this blog. The site it was found upon is. This is a “wikimedia” space but wikipedia is a problem that teachers must deal with daily in the classroom. I hate wikipedia. Knowledge should not be gained by reading unscholarly works written by people that could have potentially no knowledge. I understand that some of the articles are wonderful but I would never take the risk of advising my students to go to wikipedia for help. Both schools I have completed prac in have no problem with their students looking into wikipedia for general knowledge questions. When questioning them if it is the right website to be advising they said where else do we go?
The lack of teacher development seems to be a main reason for this. Teachers have no idea! This could be because they wish not to have their professional development in the IC field in which case they are terrible teachers or is it that there is not enough development.
One brilliant task that was suggested to me by a fellow student is to teach your class units of work then take them on to wikipedia and they are to EDIT other peoples work and include academic sources for their referencing. Explain the process and why the posts need to be edited by others. This way the students revise the work in a fun task but also they can see how to establish a good wiki site from a bad wiki site. If another teacher advises they use it at least then they have the skills to be critical about the information.
time for “learning environemnts”?
Blog response to – Technology to Support Learning
Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.) (1999). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Ch. 9. (link to article)
Although this is an American site it does relate to the Australian school environment nicely. My response is in particularly focused upon the chapter of the digital community in the history classroom (p 144) where the teacher created a learning community and spends weeks with her schools following their personal passions! How inspiration! Wouldn’t it be wonderful to let imaginations run wild and filter into the exciting elements of education! But no… we cant…. The high demand on the curriculum is leaving teachers with a workload that is to much to power through in the lessons that we have. This idea of a learning community is one that I would aspire to create but in reality I have two problems-
1) I have no chance in the curriculum to follow the passions of my students. Everything is so stick that I can not venture off the track for half a second.
2) Taking students to computer labs where some computers work and some don’t, having to re set passwords and forgetting usernames and so it becomes a logistical nightmare!
If Mr. Rudd is going to give my students computers then give me space in the curriculum to create learning environments where personal passions can be explored digitally! What is the point of school if it is not relevant and is not firing a passion for learning
if technology is going to be used we must have policies to make it possible.
blog responce to the article- Truly, madly, deeply engaged.
Global youth, media and technology (2007). Truly, madly, deeply engaged. (link to article)
“Global youth have many options for addressing their
needs of community, self-expression, and personalization,
but our research identified three especially
significant channels—music, the Internet, and mobile
devices—that have the capacity to support all three
youth needs. ”
this sounds wonderful! to intregrate education into every area of a studnets life so that lifelong learning becomes the norm. to link in areas of students life to engage them sounds like the future! only a couple of small problems…….
I am not allowed by the policies of the child protection act to have my moblie phone out in class because it is a recording device so how am I meant to allow thrity students to then have their phones out. Schools are confussed if technology is the enemy or not. I sat in gigital learning lectures inspired as to what i could bring into the classroom yet then I was out on prac i was faced with the situation that if a studnets was seen with any peiece of technology I was totake it from them (and trust me at the end of the lesson I had a huge pile of techology on my desk!)
how am I going to be in a school that has a a policy of no i pods and no mobile phones at school and yet I am expected to then give them permision to carry it around with them and use it in my class. no wonder kids are confussed about the rules!
schools need to decide is techology the friend or foe…..
This is why i became a teacher!
technical problems!
I have created a podcast and a mind map but they are not posting on to my blog but rather are going into my media gallery.
At first i thought it was due to my illterate nature with computers but i have people help in tutorials and from my teck savy friends and this problems seems unsolvable. hopefully i will fix it soon! thank you for understanding!
What a wonderful slide show!
what better way to include students into the wonderful world of history then to make the topics that relate for their real world experience. this slide show is great for introducing the idea of items being from the past and that an idea that they know now is actually born from an idea many years ago- THUS IT IS HISTORY! brilliant!
Welcome to our digital classroom!
Hi students,
This blog is a means of you connecting with our area of study on a deeper level. Upon this platform I shall give you links to web pages that will widen your reading, post when events are happening in the community and mostly importantly I will post podcasts of key features for our topic. These podcasts are not a replacement to coming to class. They are short summaries of the topic we had discussed in class. They are to be used as a tool of revision and a reference point when completing assignments. Transcripts of the podcasts can be given upon request if your learning style is better helped by reading rather than listening.
Please embrace these podcasts as they will be of aid to you. These pod casts also allow for you not be left behind if you are sick. Simply follow the podcasts and you will have a general knowledge of the topics covered whilst you were away.
Thank you
Happy blogging!
Ms Nealon
