My embedded concept map

EME5432 in a nutshell

http://www.mywebspiration.com/view/267708a31cbd (my colorful concept map)

This class has influenced me a lot; I am not just saying that! I came into this classroom the first week of class terrified of technology. I really thought that I could still be a really good teacher without implementing technology in my classroom; boy, was I wrong! This class has transformed the way I view technologically, specifically its role in the classroom. I am not saying that I feel totally comfortable with technology (is anyone ever totally comfortable with every single aspect of technology?!), but I am open to the idea and willing to learn even more. Technology provides so many incredible resources for teachers and students. My web-based application to research was VoiceThread, and I am definitely going to use it in my classroom! What an awesome way for students to collaborate on a project. I am probably going to use a lot of the web-based applications; right now I am looking at the Evernote application that I downloaded to my computer. It would be an absolute shame not to utilize all of these tools in my future classroom. In fact, it would be robbing my students of a fair education to ignore all of the technology that is out there. Unfortunately, as teachers, we will probably encounter some form of the Digital Divide. The most useful information I found from other teachers as to how to bridge the Digital Divide was to keep everything in the "Cloud," for example Google Docs. This allows students that do not have computers or internet access at home to still be able to save all of the information that they work on at school or from a library computer. I also plan on writing grants and holding fundraisers to acquire technology for my classroom.

Coming into this class I knew that, as a teacher, I cannot simply stand at the front of the classroom and lecture. This class showed me multiple ways to differentiate my instruction. I particularly cannot wait to use networked learning in my classroom. Networked learning allows students to take learning into their own hands and opens up their eyes to so many resources. With the teacher as a facilitator and moderator, the students go on a "scavenger hunt" of information. How cool is it that a high school student in Florida can gain access to a lecture by a Harvard professor?? I believe that students learn a lot more when they are the active learners, not the passive listeners. Technology opens up so many doors for students to practice meaningful learning. I also hope that I am able to implement my classmates' service learning projects into my future classroom. Service learning is great in teaching students both content and how to be effective, contributing citizens.

Social Networking. Endless possibilities. I already had a general idea about social networking before I began EME 5432 (who doesn't have a facebook?), but I had no idea how much it can help me professionally. Through reading teachers' bogs and, even more so, teachers' Twitter accounts, I have gained invaluable resources and tips for my future classroom (all of which I saved to my Delicious account, of course). I plan on continuing this Blog and my Twitter account when this class ends and I become a teacher. The technology is out there, and it's out there to help us; why wouldn't you take full advantage of that??

Obviously I am not a technology expert (yet); this is evidenced by the fact that I failed at trying to embed my concept map onto my Blog and just had to provide the link. I am, however, a technological convert. We live in a changing world, and we need to prepare our students for this. After all, isn't our main job as teachers to prepare effective citizens? Together, my students and I are going to learn and use so much technology!

Thank you, Professor Drexler, for showing me just how useful technology is, especially as an educator. If I were to take this class over again, I think I would try to come in with a more open mind. At first, technology scared me so much that I think I missed out on a little at the beginning. So, to all of you future EME5432 students, EMBRACE TECHNOLOGY!

Bridging the Digital Divide

Before taking EME5432 I probably would have said, "no, I do not think students need digital access to learn." However, I realize now that this would be a great disservice to my students in today's day and age. Although different classrooms will inevitably vary in regards to the amount of digital access that they posses, students need to be at least introduced to technology in order to be tomorrow's successful citizens. After all, isn't one of the main purposes of education to create effective citizens? It would have been perfectly fine for our parents, or maybe even ourselves, to lack technological access, but the same does not hold true for our future students. Students can learn the content perfectly fine without technology, but teaching the content is not our only job as teachers. Plus, technology does enhance the learning process greatly!!

If I find myself working at a school with very little digital access, I will write grants to gain such technology. A teacher that I volunteered for last year wrote a grant for a SmartBoard and his class; he said it was quite easy to do. I would also like to work with someplace, say Pizza Hut, and ask them if they would help me with "Technology Night." I would pick a night and a percentage of the proceeds earned that night would go to acquiring computers, or a SmartBoard, or a flip camera phone, or whatever I need, for my classroom. I obviously would encourage all my students and their families to attend; pizza + technology....who could resist?! If a classroom is equipped with technology, but not a lot, I would incorporate the technology as a "station" as part of a lesson plan. That way, every student would be rotated in to use the technology, but it would not be the focal point of the lesson.

I searched through a lot of teachers' blogs and twitter accounts in search of how they bridge the digital divide. While not a lot of them specifically talk about what they do to bridge the digital divide, a lot of them lament about it and how it provides such a disservice to students. Then it hit me: these teachers are trying to bridge the digital divide just by having these blogs and twitter accounts. It is proof that they are not a member of the (too large) group of teachers that are scared of technology and refuse to use it in their classroom. Message to teachers: it is completely normal to be afraid of technology, especially if you did not grow up with it. However, it is COMPLETELY unacceptable to deny your students the right of technology proficiency. My peers and I in the ProTeach program are taking the first step in bridging the digital divide just by taking this class!

Ariel Sacks is a teacher in New York who discusses the trouble of the digital divide in her classroom. She brings up two aspects of the digital divide: 1) that some students do not have access to the internet at their homes, which gives them an unfair disadvantage when completing specific assignments, like the audio of the book that Ms. Sacks created 2) Sacks discusses how the school does not allow mp3 players on school property, but they can be used for so many educational purposes! school administrations need to catch up with the times and realize that technology does not equal evil! Even cell phones will have some educational bearing one day, according to Dr. Packer (I agree).

A teacher told me, via Twitter (isn't Twitter cool?!) that, to bridge the digital divide, teachers should put as much information in the digital cloud (such as Google docs) so students do not have to save things to a specific computer. Thank you Kathy Schrock!

http://www.edutopia.org/digital-divide-where-we-are-today

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/10/30/will-the-digital-divide-close-by-itself/: this article discusses how 1) inconsistency in school contributes to the digital divide. For example, if one principal implements technology in his or her school but then leaves, so does the technology. and 2) how the digital divide will shrink as technology becomes cheaper

This teacher is raising money for a netbook for his sixth grade classroom; he realizes the importance of technology in today's classroom. Mr. R, the teacher, makes it easy for people to donate money online with just the click of a button. http://www.donorschoose.org/donors/proposal.html?id=319861&verify=1154803167

this website http://www.21stcenturychallenges.org/60-seconds/what-is-the-digital-divide/

deals with the digital divide in the UK, providing excellent facts and figures. It states "those being left behind with technology are being left behind across many spheres" --Martha Lane Fox, digital inclusion champion

http://teachers.net/gazette/SEP00/bracey.html this is a teacher-specific website concerning the digital divide, and how lack of technology puts students at a grave disadvantage.

this website http://www.classroom20.com/forum/topics/digital-divide-between

is one teacher describing the digital divide in a different sense; that students know a lot about technology and the teachers don't, nor do they care to learn. This teacher suggests, as a teacher who is proficient in technology and sees its importance, that we should slowly introduce our colleagues to technology, one baby step at a time. All too often, teachers remain set in their ways and do not even use the technology that they are lucky enough to have in their class!

I Want to be a Teacher Leader!

A teacher leader is not someone who simply stands in front of the classroom and lectures at students day in and day out just to get a pay check. A teacher leader is invested in the educational system and acts as an active participant and educational reform and decision making. Teachers are probably the most important part of a student's education; they either make or break it. According to Leadership for Student Learning: Redefining the Teacher as Leader http://www.iel.org/programs/21st/Reports/teachlearn.pdf, "teacher leaders seek challenge, change, and growth" (10) Any other professional, this study argues, is naturally in the leader position, but teachers, however, face many challenges in this area. Leadership for Student Learning argues that teachers need to be a part of the important decision making processes in their school; after all, don't these decisions affect them the most? Saying that there are very few genuine teacher leaders in today's schools, I hope to change that. I hope that all of us ProTeach grads become teacher leaders and help move the educational system in the right direction! We need to change the educational system from being mostly "top-down"--teachers need to be an integral part of administrative decisions in the schools. Many people view teaching as a "flat" career, meaning that you can't really advance and move up the ladder, as in so many other professions. Well, people need to take pride in themselves and WANT to advance in skill as a teacher; your future students will thank you!

Teacher Leadership Today http://teacherleaders.typepad.com/teacher_leadership_today/

is the center for teaching equality. This website has blogs and book reviews that deal with all things that involve teacher leadership. There are posts on all sorts of teacher leadership topics, such as "What Makes for a Great Teacher Leader?" and "More Great Start of School Advice." This website contains many great blogs, all written by actual teachers, and they offer great advice about how to become a great teacher leader. I think one of the key aspects in becoming a teacher leader is to be flexible and adaptable. Teachers that are set in their ways and have no intention of changing and learning because they have job security give the field of education a bad name. Teachers need to remember that THE STUDENTS are our main priority, and therefore we need to keep up with the times and be a part of the decision making processes in our schools.

Why do you think there are so few teacher leaders in schools??