0525 Week One Article Reaction

Reading this article made me consider how long it's been since I've taken any kind of statistics or educational research class. Instead I had to approach the information from a conceptual standpoint.

As is pointed out in the article, the meta analysis of using technology in education only demonstrated an effect size of .410. It further indicated that it had a negative effect of -.091 on student behavior. This made curious about a few things.

I noticed that the study was published in 2003 and considered studies that were published between 1997-2003. Much has happened since 2003. I wonder what the results of a meta analysis would be if it considered more recent work? I realize that it takes time to gather results, but I still wonder. Many of the tools we've been discussing in our program have only begun to be used wide spread within the last few years. Once more teachers and schools adopt these technologies, how will the effects change?

CED0525 Week One

I've been out of education for a while, so I'm really looking forward to working with the strategies that we'll be exploring in class. Things are so different compared to how I taught years ago.

I taught at a private K-8 school out of state. There was no professional development. I had a mentor for my first year, but there wasn't mush to the mentoring program. I didn't have any regular meetings and the one piece of advice that I got from my principal was to take more grades. I finally feel like I'm getting the professional development that I craved.

I can tell that implementing these strategies takes a good deal of preparation. Combining them in a method that supports students and provides flexibility is a skill unto itself.

I've been going through all of the on-line resources that have been mentioned in our text so far and bookmarking them in my delicious account. There are some great resources here. One of my personal favorites is Stellarium, an on-line planetarium. Users can see what the sky will look like using a given time and location. I tried this one at home. Both me and my six year old daughter loved it.

Can't wait for more great resources!

CEDo520 Week 3

As much as I like Google Docs, I've found a couple of new tools that I really like. I used Buzzword for the first time. I found it very similar to the word processor in Google Docs, but the inability for those without Gmail accounts has always bugged me. With Buzzword I can designate anyone to edit the document.

I also found 280 Slides to be similar to the presentation tool in Google Docs.

I also put together my first survey on Survey Monkey. Part of my job function is to train staff on processes using our student information system, Skyward. I need to spend some time this summer reflecting on my training methods. I'm going to use my survey to discern how to make my training sessions faster. I'd be curious to hear from teachers who have used Survey Monkey in the classroom.

CED0520 Learning Resources-Week Two

I found a couple great new resoures this week. Alexa.com provides data on web sites. The user types in the site to be reviewed and alexa.com provides information such as who typically visits the site and the countries where the searched site has been accessed. Alexa also provides information on what other sites link to the searched site. The author of the searched site is provided as well as contact information.

I also found Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators on the Discovery Channel website. All I can say is 'Paydirt!' As someone who has been out of the classroom for a while, this resource is going to be very valuable to me. Kathy offers great resources on all contect areas. In order to do my site evaluation assignment, I went to Kathy's Guide to find my sites to review.

With all the great resources on the web, I'm relieved to know that I won't have to spend a fortune at the teacher supply store.

CED0520 Week One

The more and more I move through this program the more I realize how crucial it will be to teach students about critical thinking skills. The web is full of information with conflicting information and some of it with the purpose of selling something. Students often think that if they find something on-line then it must be true. I guess I'm starting to think of this type of critical thinking as a type of 'on-line street smarts.' Individuals need to consider the source of information and even more importantly consider carefully what information they themselves publish on the web.

What I learned this week

This week I paid more attention to virus scanners than I ever had before. I wasn't sure what made a good virus scanner so I researched the topic and found an article that was basic enough that I could understand some of the basics. Next time I think I'll make a table so that I can compare products side by side. I would like to learn more about some of the bells and whistles, but basically I found that automatic updates, email and IM scanning, and clean up tools were key. I also liked that some of the products can protect private information like account numbers.

I've started thinking more about disaster recovery plans and how I want to back up my data. I looked at the best buy site and am planning to buy an external hard drive. Now I just have to remember to back up on a regular basis and keep it at a different location. I admit that I'm not usually good at remembering things like this and that's what attracts me to services like Mozy. Do I pay the money to be able to set up an automatic backup schedule or just treat the backup process like I'm paying bills and just dedicate the time on a regular basis?

My district is considering hosting our student information system offsite. I learned that we currently have 7.5 MB of bandwidth and will soon have 9.0. I was shown a basic drawing of how our network is set up. I felt that part was very valuable. One of the concerns regarding hosting offsite is whether or not our new streaming media capabilities will overwhelm the bandwidth that we have. Whether we can segregate the information system's traffic is also being explored.

How this Class Relates - Class 4

I was badly in need of this class. I have very little knowledge of how a computer works and knowledge of hardware. I really need to increase my confidence in the area. I never would have opened up a computer if it wouldn't have been an assignment. When I've gone into a store to buy a computer I've always relied on my husband to help me figure out what to buy. It will be great to feel like I know something.

While I feel a little unsure, I know the remaining assignments will help me learn new skills and help me find good resources.