1.According to the second reading, e-learning is defined as: internet-enabled learning that encompasses training, education, just-in-time information, and communication.
What is your definition of e-learning, and how has e-learning changed/affected your teaching?
2.If additional e-learning training and usage is required of educators, how will you incorporate it into your classroom? Give one concrete example.
3.Is it necessary to alter the NYS Technology Standards in order to increase the usage of e-learning in the classroom? Why or why not?
1) One of the reading stated that it is internet enabled learning,The use of network technologies to create, foster, deliver, and facilitate learning, anytime and anywhere. It is well said and it encompasses what i would define e-learning as.
ReplyDeleteOne concrete way to put it is online education. There is several universities not now offers courses online. University of Phoenix offers online degree. e-learning has taking learning out of the classroom. Individuals no longer have to bend their lives to get an education.
one way I would use it would be with assessing students. Time is precious to teachers so instead of spending a lot of time in administering test or quiz in class, one way would be to use e-learning for quizzes and tests.
I don't know if anyone agree that there ought to be a difference between technology usage and e-learning.
or better yet, is there a difference between technology usage and e-learning?
The ways to incorporate e-learning into the classroom are endless. I think it’s extremely important for teachers to create internet based projects to familiarize students with using the internet for educational purposes and not just myspace and facebook.
ReplyDeleteI hope to incorporate the website I showed 2 weeks ago during the mini-lesson into my classes in the future. I aim to add a blog and more resources for students so they are in a way forced to use it! Now that I feel much more comfortable participating and leading blogs I think I could really make it a beneficially activity for the students, especially if I had them doing it at least once a week.
Another activity that I have seen many teachers collaborate on is creating pamphlets that could be based on a variety of topics. (I have seen them used as a geography based assignment where students create a tourist guide with all information about a specific country.) I have tried several times to figure out how to use Microsoft to format for this type of activity but can’t figure it out! I was hoping it may come up in a mini-lesson in the future, if not I will ask for a tutorial from one of my colleagues.
1. According to the second reading, e-learning is defined as: internet-enabled learning that encompasses training, education, just-in-time information, and communication.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your definition of e-learning, and how has e-learning changed/affected your teaching?
E-learning is the use of the internet to create imagination and understand factual information anytime you want. It is internet learning that develops overtime just like you do in order to communicate and understand yourself and others.
E-learning has changed my teaching by involving students to explore the world and develop an understanding of ideas through technology. It has affected my teaching in a very positive way. I think to myself that if there was no technology, no computer use, it would be like living with many people that are exactly alike. Technology opens the minds of everyone. It creates different visions and introduces everyone to a new window to look out of.
3. Is it necessary to alter the NYS Technology Standards in order to increase the usage of e-learning in the classroom? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteIt is necessary to alter the NYS Technology Standards in order to increase the usage of e-learning in the classroom because technology is taking over our education. Books and articles used to be a primary source and now sources are coming from the internet. The internet is teaching us more at times than we could possibly imagine. Think about this for a quick second. If you wanted to look up directions, information on World War II, or write a poem, what is the first thing that comes to mind when you want to complete these tasks? My initial reaction is to sit down and complete it on a computer. I am currently writing my responses on Microsoft word as we speak. Therefore, the NYS Technology Standards need to increase because teachers need to become more computer savvy. We need to understand them a lot more than turning them on and off. There are students learning how to use computers at a very young age, therefore I believe it is only necessary to understand that much more about technology the older the students. Not only is it necessary to understand technology, it is important to be creative, draw lesson plans, instruct and teach valuable ideas and concepts to the students, and finally prepare students for the next level.
I feel that e-learning is so much more than just being able to use technology in the classroom. I think there will come a time where there will be no classroom and all the learning will be done long distance via the e-learning portal. learning will truly be facilitated anytime and anywhere. E-learning to me is and will be well above and beyond being able to use a computer in a classroom or a smartboard. It will be more like using these tools at any given time, or any given place.
ReplyDelete1.According to the second reading, e-learning is defined as: internet-enabled learning that encompasses training, education, just-in-time information, and communication.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your definition of e-learning, and how has e-learning changed/affected your teaching?
My definition of e-learning is that it is internet based and easily accessible. I feel that e-learning has made education more convenient for people who would have otherwise not furthered their educations. E-learning has not affected my teaching in anyway bowever it has affected my own education. I tried an online school for my masters, and it turned out to be a HUGE waste of time. I am not convinced that full time e-learning is the way to go. It has all the right things going for it but their seem to still be some problem areas.
3.Is it necessary to alter the NYS Technology Standards in order to increase the usage of e-learning in the classroom? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteI do think it is necessary to alter the NYS technology standards not only to increase the usage of e-learning but also to keep up with the ongoing upgrades in technology. Technology standards should be revisited and revised every couple of years, because technology grows so fast that our new standards seem very outdated. New standards would also push for the movement towards using more technology, in a sense forcing the teachers who are now refusing it to learn to use it.
In response to Marcus about technology taking over education. I do agree. The district that I work at now uses palm reading assessments which is all done on a palm pilot, and the library is actually starting to use the kindles. its a pda type thing that you can purchase and download books and have magazine and newspaper subscriptions to. They are using it as an incentive to those who don't like reading as much offering them this new "tool" to encourage them to read more. To me it is almost like bribery saying you don't like to read a "real" book so here is a machine that you can read from its more fun. Just my opinion though
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like Dstarr and Marcus also believe that technology standards should be reassessed often to make sure they are keeping up with the times. I didn’t know much about what they were currently. -I’m was hoping they’ve revamped them from when I was in school and technology was actually a woodshop class. But when I checked out the NYS standards I was surprised at how broad they really are. They definitely require that students are exposed to e-learning through a variety of different activities like “using Sim city to simulate an environment” but there are also a lot of examples mentioned such as creating a doorbell circuit using a battery, switch and wires OR “choosing a set of materials based on acoustic abilities to create wind chimes.” A lot of the activities mentioned could have e-learning incorporated into them even if it was by having students make spread sheets of their data, or simply use Microsoft Word to write up the procedures they were doing for different experimental activities. The scales at which e-learning would be incorporated would be at the teachers discretion.
ReplyDeleteI have a friend who teaches technology in New York and he said that he has made his own curriculum because there are no state assessments and he is not really held accountable for anything. (He said as long as his kids are doing “something” the school is happy.) I know a pretty big part of his curriculum is building things like wooden CD racks or picture frames (again, getting back to the woodshop element that I despised in high school) and sometimes I just wonder if an e-learning class should be designed and kept separate from other elements that are currently incorporated.
It’s been a long time since I have been in a middle or high school tech class so I am interested to know what the curriculum is like at everyone’s schools?
http://www.emsc.nysed.gov/ciai/mst.html (if you want to take a peek at standards)
1.According to the second reading, e-learning is defined as: internet-enabled learning that encompasses training, education, just-in-time information, and communication.
ReplyDeleteWhat is your definition of e-learning, and how has e-learning changed/affected your teaching?
I feel that e-learning is defined as learning using any sort of digital technology. I feel that wikispaces, internet research, wikipedia, blogging and so much more can be considered as e-learning.
E-learning has affected my teaching in the aspect of the internet. I know have a class web page which I hope to expand over the next year. I use a learning system called "odyssey" with my pre-k students and I am always looking for new innovative ways to incorporate technology in my room. I am hoping to get a projector and be able to make stories using my students on the computer and be able to project them for the class to see.
3.Is it necessary to alter the NYS Technology Standards in order to increase the usage of e-learning in the classroom? Why or why not?
ReplyDeleteI think that technology standards are going to be something that will constantly be changing due to the fact that technology is always changing. It would not do much good to keep old standards that don't coincide with modern technology.
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up a very good point when you stated that there should be a difference between technology usage and e-learning. Like you said, e-learning is so much more than technology usage. If we look at the smart board for example, using it as only a digital whit board, would be considered just technology usage. But using the smart board in conjunction with an online math manipulatives page, would be considered e-learning. I think this is what you mean by that.
Bridget,
ReplyDeleteThat website is a great way to incorporate e-learning into the classroom. Many teachers are starting to create their own websites and blogs to use with teaching. I feel that it just opens up the classroom a lot more when there is somewhere on the web that the students can go to see/complete assignments.
The assignment that has students making the pamphlets is a great idea as well. Microsoft Publisher is the program that you would use for that. Its pretty easy to use and you can make a lot of things with it.
Bridget, Marcus, DStarr, and JKittle,
ReplyDeleteGreat job with question 3. You all were in agreement about keeping the technology standards up to date, and redone every few years. You all basically said that it was necessary to do this because technology is changing so rapidly, and it is important to make sure the students are learning technology that will benefit them in the future.
Since technology is so readily changing and upgrading. Do you think that Technology Standards should receive the most attention in comparison to the other subject areas.
yes, in fact that is exactly what I mean. If in fact technology usage was the same thing as e-learning then most class with technology in them would be e-learning. e-learning is achieved when the technology usage facilitate learning in any location at any time.
ReplyDeleteThank you Bridget for the link to the standard I was wondering about them.
also answering DStarr: You mentioned how the online degree you started was a complete waste. For now i do agree that those programs seem very questionable. Something tells me though that online degrees will become the way to get an education. It will become a relevant way to educate and classroom learning will be a secondary method because more people will find it completely useless to pay for dormitary arrangements in colleges.
Response to question #2:
ReplyDeleteI think that more training and more usage of technology in the classroom is inevitable. I am learning newer technology now in my graduate classes and after I get my masters I’m sure I will attend workshops on other newer technology to use throughout my career. It is important to try to keep up to date. One example of how I use e-learning in my classroom now from what I’ve learned in just this course is my wikipage. I set up a wikipage for my classroom but right now its only being used as a means to let parents now what is going on in the classroom. That would be an example of educational use, not e-learning. To use e-learning I could have assignments up on my wikipage for the students to do. I like Stephanie’s example of having students take tests and quizzes online. It would take less time to give them out and less time to grade them and put the results in the computer. It would be nice if there were a program that you made your quizzes on and gave the answers. Then the program would correct the students’ tests right then and they could get their grade back right away. The program would also then send the grades to a spread sheet where the teacher could see all the grades and import them into her grade book. When I taught in Florida we had a couple of programs like that in math and science to help prepare them for the state tests. The programs were really easy to use and the students liked doing them. They could also access them at home through the internet if they wanted to practice at home. Unfortunately I don’t remember the site or program. I should call my friend who still teaches down there and ask her.
In the most general sense ("e" standing for electronic) I suppose you would have to consider e-learning to mean any learning exerience that entails the use of electronics, from "Baby Einstein" to on-line college courses to virtual classrooms in "Second World."
ReplyDeleteIn actual practice, however, the term seems to apply to Internet-based learning. This still leaves the meaning wide open, almost as much as before. E-learning could mean using on-line research resourses, looking up a synonym in an Internet dictionary, enrolling in an on-line course offered by a university half way around the world, or taking a hybrid course such as this one.
Proponents site advantages including time & space management considerations. The learner in most cases can work at his or her own convenience, usually within set parameters, and from any location with Internet access.
From my own experience, I also see a very real drawback to courses that are entirely on-line: There is no face-to-face interaction. Perhaps this is because I am not a "digital native." Younger students may feel fine with this. They (some of you?) may not feel a need for feedback that is concurrent with discussion, facial expressions, incidental noises, body language. But those are important to me. Just the timing of a response or a pause can be meaningful. All those aspects are lost in a medium (such as this blog) that allows responses whenever the participant has a free moment. Much of it is lost even in a real-time "e-conversation." I would go so far as to argue that, although it does add a missing dimension, adding a video feed does not completely compensate for this, due to the limited ability one has to control the camera at the other end.
I found the courses I took that were entirely on-line (I never even met the professor) left me feeling disconnected. It seriously (& negatively) impacted my learning and my motivation.
On the plus side, blogs and other similar media offer the participants time for reflection, yielding fewer "shoot from the hip" type responses. Hybrid courses, I find, afford me the connectedness I crave with the flexibility and almost unlimited resources of the Web.
Response to question #1:
ReplyDeleteMy definition of e-learning is using technology to create an interactive, engaging, learning environment that is constantly evolving and updating. I liked how in the first reading it stated there should be less concentration on the “electronic” part of e-learning and more on the learning. The reading stated the “e” should really stand for evolving, everywhere, enhanced, or extended. I agree because that’s what it really is. It’s not so important that it’s electronic but more that it engages students, and its able to change easily. This type of learning is more enhanced and hands-on. The students get more out of e-learning I believe because they are learning the concepts they need for school but are also learning skills they can use later on in their jobs. A lot of jobs I believe in the future will require advanced skills in technology and computers. What Stephanie said about in the future not needing classrooms because all learning will be done through the internet may be true, which I feel is kinda scary. Yeah it is nice to use e-learning IN the classroom. But if there is no classroom and everyone learns at home through the internet I feel people will have no face-to-face communication with each other. I’m afraid people won’t know how to act or behave socially. Children learn so much more in school than just academics. They learn how to meet others and make friends. They learn how to share and get along with everyone even if they don’t like that person. They learn how to respect peers and elders. A lot of times it’s a place of rescue for students. Many of my students don’t have a nice family life at home and my classroom is their haven. Teachers often give love, support, and attention to children who don’t receive it at home. So I think there still needs to be schools with classrooms but teachers could use e-learning for their curriculum.
I do currently use e-learning with my class - at least in some limited ways. We use the Internet for research, writing, illustrating and publishing student work. I have a web site that students & their families can use to learn about me or class/grade level/school expectations. They can find resources to help them learn, and calendars to see what's coming up. (I have to get better about keeping up to date with those calendars.)
ReplyDeleteIn the future, I would like to see about building (or accessing pre-made) assessment pieces on-line. With the possibility of using graphics and videos to illustrate or for students to manipulate, I can envision effective assessments, similar to a hands-on piece, especially for content areas like science. Perhaps not quite as effective as an actual hands-on test, but potentially much cheaper and far less time intensive for setup. It would have the added advantage of being instantly digitized, making analysis of results simpler, quicker, and more portable.
I am woefully ill-informed about New York State's technology standards (though I plan to change that), yet I can say without reservation that they need altering. The technology that is available, and the adaptations (soft & hardware) being developed for instructional use are evolving constantly and quickly. The standards will assuredly be out of date by the time they are published.
ReplyDeleteThe last time I read through the technology standards (a scintillating read), they were remarkably brief (thank god) and not particularly instructive. If that remains the case, they decidedly need beefing up.
Should a reading of the standards be a component of this course? It would probably be useful information for teachers intending to incorporate or expand the use of technology in our classroom teaching.
Dave, You mention a reading device called, "Kindles." I'm not familiar with it, but certainly not above using bribery. The word "kindles" sounds like a play on the meaning "to start a fire" and "kinder" meaning "children" in German.
ReplyDeleteI looked it up on Wikipedia (good thing that technology). It looks interesting, but: How readable is the text? Can the display of text & illustrations look like those in the book, or is it always more like the text in this blog?
At $359 (according to Wikipedia) it's pretty expensive. Do you know what kind of deal you school was able to get?
Tammy, great run down of all the classroom is beyond a place for academics. I couldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteI truly hope that e-learning is never seen as a replacement for school, but rather as a very useful enhancement or an extension that virtually stretches the classroom walls through the community to encompass our students' homes and lives. How's that for hyperbole.
What is your definition of e-learning, and how has e-learning changed/affected your teaching?
ReplyDeleteE-learning to me is exploring how to use new types of technology. E-learning has changed the way I teach because I use it as a tool. By this I mean the students already know how to use a piece of technology, and that is the tool for them to accomplish their task. So e-learning to me is letting students explore a new technology, guided or unguided, so that they can then accomplish a common task.
I just spent some time going over NYS technology standards, a subset of math, science & technology. Besides needing a proofreader and someone who can determine whether the examples given truly relate to the performance indicators they are supposed to illuminate, they are mostly quite vague.
ReplyDeleteIt also seemed to me that some tasks/knowledge I expect of my third graders is listed under intermediate aged students. Is that because they are out of date? Or are they simply poorly conceived? Other examples given seem more appropriate for students older than elementary age. That would seem to argue poorly conceived.
The upshot is that, yes, I do believe state standards should be revamped. As discussed above by others, and myself because of the rapid pace of change in information technologies, updating of the state standards in this area will always need frequent attention.
Phil,
ReplyDeleteI've taken on-line classes as well, and your right, it's so different. I too found it very difficult to stay motivated and focused. I don't think e-learning will replace schools anytime soon for a couple reasons, and this being one of them.
The technology standards are pretty vague and there is a lot of room for improvement. I've been looking around for any revisions to the technology standards, and the most recent that i've found is in late 2006. I'm not sure if this is the most recent but this was all i found. Assuming that this is correct, and the last revision was in 2006, should more time be spent in updating the standards, or are there more important issues to deal with than this?
By the way, that was a very nice hyperbole!
Stephanie,
ReplyDeleteYou're right there is so a huge difference between technology usage and elearning. Are we making the most out of the technology that we can use in the classroom or are we putting our students at a disadvantage by not using it? Online courses have made getting a higher education alot much easier. It's great to see that more schools are dedicating themselves to just elearning in the classroom.
Bridget,
ReplyDeleteYour ideas are great! I think now that alot us feel more comfortable with leading blogs it will be easier for us to use in our classrooms. I know I do. I have had my students make pamphlets and this is a great activity for them. They are able to have so much more fun with Social Studies.It gets away from the boring text book.
Marcus,
ReplyDeleteYou're right we do need to alter NYS standards to make sure technology is in the classroom. Most of our students are more tech savvy then teachers. Schools should mandate that teachers are getting the proper professional development in technology to keep up with the times. I'm just not sure if it's possible with all the budget cuts.
Dstarr & Jkittle,
ReplyDeleteWe do need to reasset NYS Standards. You guys are so rights forcing more techer to to technology in the classroom in the proper way. Having an overhead and saying" I use technology", doesn't work. Our world is so fast pace and we need to keep up it as educators. If not we're are doing are students more harm than good and only crippling them.I see most of the class is in agreement with this.
Brandon,
ReplyDeleteGuided and unguided discovery is a great way for exploration. We use it so much as educators but I think when it comes to technology we're afrsid to continue the process. I think most teachers won't let students explore technology unguide because they're too afraid it will break. I think you're right and this needs to continue in the classroom because this is how everyone learns....trial and error.
Philip,
ReplyDeleteI have never taken an online course so I can't relate to how you feel. Online courses are more about convience for the learner and making getting an education easier for all. For some, online courses just don't meet the learning requirements. It depends on what type of learner you are. Some need human interaction and some just don't. I think most of the younger generation will continue to fall in this category because they are so tech savvy and have had so much more exposure. The older generation, we have to play catch-up all the time to keep up with the fast pace. I think this is why so many adults shy away from technology. Great input.
E learning has already had a huge impact on my teaching. In my 9th grade global studies class we just completed a unit on Southeast Asia. In class we read and discuss overall themes of the region such as geography,history,european influence,colonization,independence,culture, and recent trends. The students are exposed to a wide range of topics but very little depth. So I decided this would be a good opprotunity to have students explore any country of southeast asia using the computer lab. The major focus was to have students the culture of the nations. They were required to find examples of food, music, language,family traditionas, holidays, religous customs and ceremonies, ect. The students had a choice of products, either a one page fact sheet or travel brochure that celebrates the nation. Further, they had to find video clips, picture, or songs imbedded into the product to share with the class when they present to the class. I used many of the skills/ guidelines we discussed in class..(research,using various programs) I was amazed at the students creativity and how well they performed. Nearly all of my students produced some of the best work I have seem all year. It was only a two day comittment of class time, and the rest they finished on there own, and I only one of my students did not have access to a computer outside of school, so we made arrangements for after school. If done right,(planning) it can be one of the best teaching tools in the modern classroom, and I plan on doing more of this througout the year.
ReplyDeleteI am very sorry about this late post, I have been having some problems with my computer, and I thought I had posted last week, but I guess my computer messed it up!
ReplyDeleteIf it is not too late, I would like to answer question number three –
I do believe that it is necessary to change the NYS Teaching Standards in order to increase the usage of e-learning in the classroom. Like I have been saying for this whole class, teachers are on “borrowed time.” There are so many things that we need to incorporate throughout the school year, due to end of the year exams and standards that are given by the state. The education department needs to make some changes when it comes to what is needed within the classroom. Maybe they should take out some things, and incorporate technology requirements that students need to be taught and/or use. I am sure these requirements will come some day, but the question is when.
I believe that we do not only have to get the teaching standards changed, but we also need to change the requirements that are needed in order to receive certification in the teaching field. This has been the first technology class that I have taken in my whole college career, and I am a second semester graduate student. Today, schools are asking for people with more technological backgrounds, yet colleges do not make it a requirement to take technology classes, how can this be? Maybe we should start a movement.