Prior to entering this course, I always had a strong interest in technology. In my younger years, I loved to do activities that had a strong technological component within them. However, these interests were never fully supported by my former teachers. They always looked at the use of technology as a form of play without any educational purpose. When this course become available for our course selection, I was more than excited as I truly felt it would benefit my teaching philosophy and me. Now that the course is just about complete, I see that initially thoughts were right. The topics explored throughout the semester have really helped me gain stronger perspectives in regards to technology and children. They have also helped me see the benefits of technology for my own personal use.

Technology is the way of the future. The newer generations of children are being born into a world that is constantly furthering the limits of what technology is capable of doing. Being born in a society that is already immersed in technology only makes it clear that our children should be taught its appropriate uses and the benefits it holds for them. We have to take advantage of the new ways we have to inspire children and to reach them on an educational level through new and traditional ways. All children have their preferred learning method, and now that technology has been made available to reach students, we should be taking advantage of it. 

One of the first things we did really helped me connect what I had done in the past with technology and how it incorporates educational factors. The World of Goo, at first glance was just another online game to me. It actually made me reminisce about a game I used to play when I was younger, “Lemmings”. The idea of both games was quite similar; each game required you to reach a certain goal in order to move on to the next level. Reflecting on the games with a new perspective I realized that they hold more meaning that I ever knew. These games are educational tools. Even though they are fun and not a traditional way of teaching, they still educate those who play them in the same way. It is a great and interactive way to teach children how to problem solve with various strategies such as trial and error through the use of technology. I could not help wanting to email those who had said to me “Stop wasting your time playing those silly games” and inform them of the benefits that programs and games like these have.

Another topic that we discussed (Designing and Visualizing with Technologies) also made me think about my own experiences with technology. Though I had never had any experience with programs such as Sketch Up, I did play various games such as the Sims and Rollercoaster Tycoon. These games have the same intent as the program Sketch Up; they enable one to use their imagination and bring to life a design. I loved playing these games and building what I dreamed of, and the fact that a program like this exists only has me wondering how I can bring it into the classroom. Sketch Up does not require that individuals design for a specific purpose such as a house or a theme park; therefore, it allows it to be used in a more open context and allows one to incorporate it in a variety of ways. When imagining the educational possibilities that exist with this program, I could not help but think that it is a great way to incorporate the science or math curriculum.

In my past placements, I have tried to incorporate technology as much as I can. Some teachers have made it easy, as they too have an interest in technology. Others have made it quite difficult, as they chose to stick to more traditional approaches of teaching. One particular experience really allowed me to connect technology and the curriculum. While working within a grade 5 classroom, I had the opportunity to connect media literacy, technology and health all into one unit plan. In the unity plan, children were to create health commercials based on the assigned topics. To begin, I allowed the children to research using the Internet so that they could gain background knowledge on their topic through sources other than just books. I also used sites such as youtube.com to show children what commercials look like. Once the children had designed their own commercials, they were ready to use a video camera to record it. Through the use of technology, children were able to research and explore their topic, record their presentation and then review it with the class. I ensured to include a self-assessment for the grading scheme, as through the use of a video, children were able to note their own strengthens and weaknesses. It has been through the creation of this unit that I saw the benefits of documenting the children’s work with technologies. By using devices such as cameras and video cameras, the children, their peers and the teacher can all view the children’s work. This can help build up a child’s self esteem as their work is displayed to others.

This course has helped me see the educational value within technology and how it aids in creating lessons and plans that are more interactive. One new concept that I will attempt to include within my teaching career is the use of technological programs for community building between students. I will strive to use a blogging format as a writing tool within my class, and have the children connect with other peers. I believe this is truly a way to create a community between students and also a way to get them to see the perspectives of others. Through my own blogging experience within this class, I have been able to become closer with those that I have not spoken to in my last 4 years at Ryerson. Through this blogging experience, I have been able to see similarities and differences between others and myself. Most importantly, I have been able to communicate my ideas and connect the theoretical with personal experiences. This class has truly helped me see the educational value within the use of technology. I feel more confident in developing a classroom environment that incorporates technology. I also feel more confident in defending my choices to those who had questioned the use of technology. I no longer just want to use technology because I enjoy it; I want to use technology so that the children have the opportunity to be exposed to its benefits and advantages. I am excited to take the new knowledge I have gained and apply it within a classroom environment.

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I would like to start off with saying WOW! This powerpoint very well exceeded my thoughts of what a powerpoint is to look like. Over the years I have seen my fair share of them and have made them myself, but never have I seen one that is so interesting. I really enjoyed the way the information was presented and it had me sitting on edge for which direction it page was going to go to next. It was definitely a well produced piece of work. I did not feel overwhelmed with all the information presented  and it stimulated my thoughts about the topic.

When I was younger, I would always spend my time on the computer using these social online games. I would venture off into worlds like Neopets and Sissyfight, where there were goals to the game, but creating friends within them was a given. Through interactions with others, I would learn about strategies that would advance me further in the game. I was surprised to see the statistic that now 905 of youth are using these games. When I was younger, not that many of my friends would be using them so I was forced to make new friends through these games that shared this interest. However when I think about it while I babysit, one boy loves to be in these virtual worlds and is constantly communicating with others as he is playing them. Even with the games that don’t have a social chat component, he will call his friend and they will log on together and play it step by step. This proves that playing the games on the computer is not an antisocial activity, in fact it promotes socializing.

One concern my parents always held with me going into these games and chatting with others was the safety component. I even remember we had a family meeting that put in place “rules” that we had to follow while on the web. The list included items such as do not give away your full name, your address, stay off inappropriate sites etc. But I have to say that I found the websites themselves did a few things to enable safety within the games. While chatting they would be blocking certain words that were inappropriate or kicking you off if you did something that was against the rules. However, they at the same time were asking me to create login names where I was to give specific information and I am sure this information was used for research purposes. Being exposed to this while I was younger will better prepare me for ensuring that my children are safe while using the web. It is only a give that companies will use these as a way to market children, as many more children are not accessing the web. In terms of safety, I still believe parents need to be monitoring and educating their children.

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I remember while in Danny Bakan’s creative arts class, the mention of this site. I was quite eager to see what it would look like, as one of our assignments was to continue to develop a student based Wiki that had been developed as a tool for our own use. Creating a tool like this for parents, educators, and children is very beneficial as it can be difficult to find a resource that caters to everyone’s diverse needs. Having all this information present in one location and allowing others to contribute their expertise to it will make it truly a meaningful community resource.

I was very impressed with the organization and development of this project. Many times websites lack an organized layout and that makes it quite difficult to find what you are looking for. With Songchild.org I was able to easily navigate my way around and find what I was looking for. I have no doubt that this resource will be one used by many and will benefit those who do contribute or seek information from it. Using a Wiki-type format to construct this website allows it to become meaningful to its users, as the things posted will be relevant to them. I want to give both Jason Nolan and Danny Bakan a round of applause for developing such an idea and bringing it to life for others to benefit from it. I cannot wait to see how this project grows and develops.

While exploring around I was able to get an idea of what various scratch labs look like. I have to say I am quite intimidated by what I saw. I am not quite sure if I will be able to develop something that is as wonderful as the ones posted on the website. I loved the use of various artistic components such as drawings, photos and music; it really made it enjoyable to watch. This also got me thinking about the various things I will include in mine and what I will do to make sure it is entertaining for others to watch. I attempted to explore the scratch lab tool a little more to try and gain some more insight as to how it works, but I still feel a little unsure about my abilities to create something that is “good”. I hope when I begin to truly construct it, the process won’t be as tough as I am anticipating it to be.

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When children are engaging in meaningful learning, it can be difficult to assess what they have learned, as each child will have learned something different and perhaps in a different way. This means that regular assessment forms such as tests and quizzes cannot work as accurate evaluation pieces. I found that meaningful learning is best assessed through reflective feedback pieces or through portfolios, as these allow the teacher to track a child’s development, to see where new knowledge has been formed and to see a child’s problem solving attempts/techniques.  Through these forms students can show the teacher what they have found meaningful and what growth they have had individually.

A great tool that has come out with the technological age is E-portfolios. E-portfolios allow children to document their development and work. This works just as a regular student portfolio would, expect for the fact that the student has access to it and they put all their work in it. I believe this is a great tool as it allows teachers to track a child’s work, while at the same time allowing the child to track it as well. With regular portfolios once the work has been collected, it usually goes away into the cupboard only to resurface during parent-teacher interviews or the end of the year. With E-portfolios children can go back and look at their accomplishments whenever they please. They even have the opportunity to further explore and modify them if they choose. This allows a portfolio to remain up to date and current. It also gives the children an opportunity to share with their fellow peers through displaying their efforts and achievements.

Since children are becoming meaningful learners through technology, I believe it only makes sense that teachers choose technological methods to assess them. We are working with a new generation of students whose interests vary and who display learning in multiple ways. We as teachers need to be aware and skilled with the necessary methods available to track our students’ development. At the same time, we must not be afraid to introduce these programs to our students. We must follow their interests and become familiar with various programs and technologies that will add meaningful learning experiences into the children’s lives. It is through fostering their interests that we will be able to see a child true potential and abilities. Being a great teacher means constructing a classroom environment that is reflective of its students; we must all strive to be great teachers.

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I order for meaningful learning to take place, children need to be active in their learning. In order for them to be active children need to be exploring, creating, experimenting and following their own interests and questions. Through this they will create their own connections and be able to make meaning of the information they have acquired. My experiences within school (even to this day), I find that I best gain knowledge when the information presented allowed me to explore my own interests. When I was given the opportunity to explore and experiment on my own, I found that I connected with peers more for problems solving and that I used a trial and error approach to gaining the right answers. However, these opportunities did not present themselves very often. Most of the time, the teachers would demonstrate the appropriate method of doing an art activity, or science experiment, or even how to use a computer program. I rarely had the opportunity to figure things out on my own while in school. I believe this is why when I was at home I took such a great interest in technology. I was able to work at my own pace and discover new things about regular household items through experimentation. This allowed me to turn my own interests into meaningful learning experiences and these experiences have stuck with me throughout my life. I find that I learn best when I am given the opportunity to make mistakes and then correct them, as it requires that I critically reflect on what I was doing before.

Technology is a great learning tool for children. As my past with technology has been discussed within prior blogs, I have always found it to be a great aid to my learning and development. It allowed me to construct knowledge in an interactive and more self-direct way.  The programs offered within today’s technological world foster this way of learning. They allow children to develop ideas through simulated interactions that are a lot easier to modify if needed. When I had to work with trial and error, I always had to start from the beginning again if something didn’t work out, but through these programs children can just go back to the point of error and start from there again. If I had to start all over again multiple times, eventually I would get very frustrated and sometimes even give up. Being able to target the problem, fix it and then move on truly allows a child to capitalize the amount of time they have to work on something. Technology has allowed for this to happen.

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Through my recent interactions with children I have seen an increase in the amount of children who have access to cameras/video cameras. Toy companies such a Fisher Price and Leap Frog have been developing cameras that can withstand a child’s handling. This provides children with the opportunity to learn how to work such devices at a young age and allow them to express themselves through yet another outlet. This can be yet another way to engage and motive children who seem to be uninterested by more common and regularly used means of expression.

Through the use of cameras, children can explore various things through yet another point of view. They can then communicate and share these ideas with others, making connections between the real life objects and the pictures. They can explore the differences that they observe and making meaningful connections between the two. It is yet another way for children to record and represent their thoughts, in a way that can be presented to others. Children can then combine this with computer programs and learn how to manipulate and photo shop the pictures to even further their learning.

The use of video/film can also allow children to express themselves in various ways. They can play many roles when it comes to videotaping (cameraman, director, actor, editor) and this allows them to practice various skills and abilities. Children can also review themselves on film and be their own critics; learning how they can identify their own weakness and what can be done to strengthen them. This tool can be combined with common classroom subjects such as language and art, thus creating a more interactive lesson or activity.

I have used cameras within my teaching practice and have found that it significantly raises the interest level of many of the students. Children are used to technology in the classroom simply coming in the form of a computer, so it was quite exciting for them to be able to use a camera. I was able to combine this technology with the health curriculum and I had the children create 30second health commercials. In the end, I had integrated technology, art, drama, and language into one whole unit. This allowed me to include all the expectations needed, while at the same time allowing the children to express themselves through a new creative outlet. Once their commercials were recorded, we took time to review them and examine them critically. Through this process, I was able to give the children a more detailed evaluation, where they too could see where their weaknesses were. It has been my experience, that these technological tools spark great interest within many of the students and allow them to express themselves in a creative new way.

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Design is something that surrounds us in our everyday lives. Someone has to design the car I drive, the home I live in, the school I attend, the computer I use and even the programs on the computer. Design is the planning needed to construct something before it is built, as it allows ones ideas to be brought to life from their mind. This ties in closely to the constructivist approach as it allows one to follow his or her own interest and ideas. It allows us to thoroughly explore, investigate and plan the thoughts we have inside our minds before building the design.

The only type of design tool I had ever use was something simple like paint. I had never had an experience using a high tech designing tool, so after reading this chapter I thought I should give one a try. I attempted to use SketchUp (the key word being attempted!) but I found it quite complicated. I was amazed at how it could really bring my ideas to life, but I found that it was a little difficult. I believe allowing children to try out this program at a young age will allow them to develop the necessary skills needed to be able to use the program to its full potential. I wish I could have gotten to use this within school as I think it would be pretty interesting to combine this with a classroom project or lesson.

The designs that individuals develop can be used in combination with simulation programs. This will allow one to test the design out even before constructing it, which can be very beneficial for the designer. Combining the two will allow children to practice their problem solving skills through trial and error. When they test out their design and it doesn’t work, they can just easily go back and make the adjustments needed. Being able to test out a design that has been created, allows children to have a more meaningful experience with their creations.

Design programs such as SketchUp can truly allow one to express their ideas. I know as a child I always have a million and one ideas running through my head, but I had very little accessed to such programs that allowed me to express them. Usually I would attempt to express them by constructing them, but this meant that I would skip the design part and that is why I would run into problems. But due to the fact that the construction part took so much time and materials to build, once it was done and it failed, I would be unmotivated to do it all over again. Allowing individuals to output their ideas prior to construction truly allows for deep and meaningful planning to be put into a creation. Designing and visualizing technologies allow children to be more active in the process of creation through planning and problem solving.

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Experimentation has always been my mode of discovery when dealing with new gadgets and websites. I have almost never used an instruction booklet to help figure something out on my phone or my computer; it has always been trail and error. I enjoy using this method, as I tend to find out more about the product then I initially was trying for.  It can take a long time, but I find it more useful in the end.

While I was reading through this chapter, I couldn’t help but find myself saying “Hey I’ve done that!”. I was constantly reminiscing of the things I used to do and currently still do that related directly to experimenting. For example, when I was younger one my favorite games was Rollercoaster Tycoon for Playstation. I would love building theme parks that were what every child dreamed of and more; the more elaborate the rides, the better my park was. I didn’t realize that through my interactions with this game, I was learning skills in organization, I was creating jobs for individuals in the park and I was even engaging in environmentally friendly practices. All these things are important within our daily lives and a simple video game was educating me on these topics without my knowledge. I now realize the importance of such simulations (and others) within a child early years. It really allows them to be in control of their own learning and growth. Simulations also allow children to develop their problem solving skills, collaboration skills and cooperation skills. They will learn how the many actions they choose to make will lead to different and varied consequences.

In taking part in the Google Lab, I was amazed to find out things I never even had a clue about. I usually used Google just as a quick search engine and nothing more. I had no idea that it had so many other useful tools. One that I found particularly useful was the translator. I had no idea that a translator tool would translate a whole website for you! I had used one before, but it was just for simple sentences or words; not whole web pages. This is very useful for me, as my parents tend to constantly ask me translate what certain website say. Though I love helping out my parents, they usually need help when I am busy with something else of my own. I have no passed on this advice to my parents (I have even showed them how simple it is to use) and I hope they will use it as a resource oppose to turning to me.

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Technology is a great enabler of community building. Through its various means (such as Wikis) individuals are able to build all sorts of communities. It helps provide a link between individuals and gives them a space where they can build strong collaborative relationships. Through Wikis, individuals are encouraged to construct an environment that encourages discussions and the building of communities. Individuals are able to select topics of interest and collabortate with others on it, creating a world of resources and work that can continuously be modified by another individual. Every person working together to help each other achieve one common goal. My first experience with a Wiki was within my Creative Arts class. Our professor had constructed a Wiki, where former classes and new classes could come together and build a resource that can be used by each other. We all worked together to improve, modify and add to it, so that we could ensure we were getting the best out of it. This helped bring in the diversity that existed within our classroom and really helped us create a community between ourselves. Through his teacher philosophy, we were encouraged to build a community, work as a team and problem solve effectively.

A classroom is all about forming a community. Students and teachers need to be aware that both parties are needed to develop an effective learning environment. I was lucky enough to be brought up with this kind of philosophy. Many of my early years teachers, gave us the opportunities to build strong relationships with each other in order to develop a community within the class. This was evident through various activities such as the weekly monitors list. In developing a simple schedule that enabled each child to get the opportunity to be in charge of a certain task, the teacher was building a community. She was giving each of us to the opportunity to work towards one common goal, and that goal was a collaborative classroom environment where everyone helped out one way or another. This of course was the way teacher did it prior to the development and popularity of certain technologies. Now that things such as Wikis exist, teachers need to take the opportunity to build a community while integrating the various curriculum subjects. By using Wikis, children can learn to become their own educators, building off each other’s ideas and working as a team. Wikis are beneficial learning tools that can and should be used within the classroom.

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When thinking about my own life and the means I use to communicate, it is quite evident that technology is largely involved. Through my daily interactions using the phone, blackberry chat, msn messenger and facebook, it is quite clear that technology helps me communicate with many individuals I may not have the chance to be face-to-face with. In accordance with the text, “media multitasking” would be the term best used to describe me. Being able to communicate through technology allows me to multitask by using multiple messaging services, talking the phone and even watching T.V. Many may feel that this interferes with a person’s ability to concentrate on a conversation. However, I would argue that it is an acquired skill that allows you to be more efficient with your time.

These forms of telecommunications may have replaced the need for face-to-face conversations, but they have also opened up a whole new ability to communicate and build relationships with those far away. They have helped in eliminating borders and allowing communication to be “easier” between individuals. We can now form collaborations with those from others parts of the world and educate ourselves on the diverse thoughts and opinions that exist with the world. We can put our minds together as one, and help each other out when in need. For example, Google has become my best friend. Whenever I have a question that I do not know the answer to, I simply pick up my phone, go on my browser and google the response. If no response is written, (which occurs often), I type my question and wait. Within minutes, I usually have a response waiting for me. By doing this, someone else in the world has written a response to my question and my problem is easily solved.

I believe that since this new form of telecommunication is inescapable, we should be teaching children how to gain maximum benefit from it. We should work to develop programs that allow children to communicate with other children from different parts of the world; re-introduce the concept of “pen-pals”, by making “e-pals”. Have the children work on units with children from other parts of the world. This will help broaden their ideas and will help them develop a sense of how others think. Through long distance collaboration, children can learn worldly perspectives on issues and concepts, inevitably making them more intellectual.

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