Even though my ECMP 355 is over, I am still planning on keeping in touch with my mentor from Florida. If she needs any help or if the kids have any problems they are going to email me. I will be trying to continue with using voicethread with her class. This was an awesome experience, I really hope that I get to do something like this again.

Technology Today.  Six years ago, the internet was limited both in what it could do and in who used it. Many people had heard the word but did not have a clue what it was. Today, most teachers have not only been exposed to the internet but also have access at home or at school. In fact, a large number of schools are being retrofitted to place the internet in every classroom. Even more exciting than this is the newest technology: Wireless. A school can purchase a ‘Portable Classroom’. This consists of laptops networked together, allowing students to work at their desks WITHOUT wires. If the laptops are networked to a printer, students can print from their personal computer to the classroom printer. 

Research.  Research is the number one reason to use the internet in education. Students have a wealth of information open to them. Often, when they are researching obscure topics, school libraries do not have the needed books and magazines. The internet helps solve this problem.  One is the quality of the information found online. However, with some advance ‘footwork’ of your own, along with stringent recording requirements for sources, one can help the students determine whether the information is from a reliable source. This is also an important lesson for them to learn for research in college and beyond.  The possibilities for assessment of research on the internet are endless, many of  them involving other forms of technology. Some ideas include essays, debates, panel discussions, role play, video presentation of information, web page creation and PowerPoint presentations.

Online Assignments.  A newer area of the internet to explore is online assessment. You can create your own tests online through your own website. These require knowledge of the internet; so many new users might not be quite ready for this. Although, this could be a great way to interact with Advanced Placement students over vacations and the summer.

Plagiarism.  When students research off the web to produce a traditional research paper, it is often difficult for teachers to tell if it is plagiarized.  Not only that, but students can buy papers off the web.  A possible solution would be to first, educate oneself. Find out what’s available.  Students answer questions the teacher gives and must be able to explain their findings. If nothing else, they have to learn what they have stolen off of the internet.

Parental and Community Objections.  The internet is full of items that most parents would rather keep away from their children: pornography, foul language, and subversive information are examples. Parents and community members might fear their children would be able to access this information if given the opportunity to use the internet at school. Also, if students’ work is to be published on the internet, it might be necessary to gain a parent’s approval.  A way to try and solve this problem is that school libraries have the ability to restrict what is viewed on the internet. Students caught accessing information that is questionable can be subject to disciplinary action. Libraries would be wise to make sure that computers with internet access are easily observable in order to monitor student activity. Classrooms pose a different problem, however. If students are using the internet, the teacher needs to check and make sure they are not accessing questionable material. Fortunately, teachers can look at the ‘history’ of what was accessed on the internet. If there is any question whether a student was viewing something that was inappropriate, it is a simple matter to check the history file and see which pages were viewed.   

Digital Gaming.  Why digital gaming, simulations, and social networking. These technologies afford us the ability to convey concepts in new ways that would otherwise not be possible, efficient, or effective, with other instructional methods. In other words, these technologies don’t just help us teach the old stuff in new ways – they can also help us teach new stuff in new ways. Digital games encompass much more than your computer’s Solitaire or Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros.  Digital games, whether computer-, game console-, or handheld-based, are characterized by rules, goals & objectives, outcomes & feedback, conflict/ competition/challenge/opposition, interaction, and representation of story or more simply, purposeful, goal-oriented, rule-based activity that the players perceive as fun.  One of the most obvious benefits to using these technologies for learning is that students are often already familiar with these interfaces and the “language” of interacting with and utilizing them.  Both inside and outside the classroom, some strong examples of powerfully engaging gaming models have emerged.  Some have been used quite a bit in the educational setting, while others have mainly garnered popularity in pop culture.

Applications.  Many different types of technology can be used to support and enhance learning. Everything from video content and digital moviemaking to laptop computing and handheld technologies have been used in classrooms, and new uses of technology such as podcasting are constantly emerging.  Various technologies deliver different kinds of content and serve different purposes in the classroom. For example, word processing and e-mail promote communication skills and database and spreadsheet programs promote organizational skills. It is important to consider how these electronic technologies differ and what characteristics make them important as vehicles for education.  Technologies available in classrooms today range from simple tool-based applications (such as word processors) to online repositories of scientific data and primary historical documents, and two-way distance learning classrooms. Even the cell phones that many students now carry with them can be used to learn.

So I have finally got all my pictures into slides and they are all edited. Tomrrow I am finishing my video for the project. I decided to interview some students and teachers on their views on technology in the classroom.  My focus for the entire project is on high school age kids, because that’s the age group I would like to eventually teach.

I choose to pick out some of my favourite quotes that I have heard in the past.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
Buddha

It is not length of life, but depth of life.
Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.
Mother Teresa

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt

If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.
Dalai Lama

My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.
Dalai Lama

Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love; this is the eternal rule.
Buddha

I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done.
Buddha

My digital footprint is actually larger than I thought it would be.  When I Google myself I can find my blog, my facebook, twitter and my MySpace.  Not only could I find these accounts of mine, but I could also find some articles from my high school.  Once I had opened all of these I discovered that one could learn a lot about me just through Google.  It has my interests, when and where I graduated from, and trips that I have gone on in the past.  I am actually very happy with my digital footprint, because all of the facts that I found are ones that I have approved.  As for others that share my name there is information on them as well, and none of that bothers me.  I cannot control what others allow to go on the internet about them; it doesn’t really have any effect on me.

The Canadian Army existed under that name only from November 1940 to February 1968; however it is still applied to Canada’s ground military.  The semi-official term used in the present day considers all Canadian land forces, regardless of actual titles, the “Canadian Army”.

The invasion of Afghanistan began on Oct. 7, 2001, and Canada took on a large role in the beginning of 2006 when the Canadian troops were deployed in Kandahar.  Canadian Forces personnel that are currently deployed in Afghanistan as a part of the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) are in the numbers from 2,500 to 3,000 troops.

There is a great debate on whether Canada should leave its troops in Afghanistan after 2011 or whether they should be sent home.  The public has many mixed feelings about this situation and some were under the initial impression that Canadian troops are in Afghanistan for the soul reason of peacekeeping.  Now “instead of peacekeeping, Canadian soldiers are leading the fight against remnants of the al-Qaeda and the Taliban” (J Sheppard) Parliament never gave its approval to this deployment.  Therefore there is not only a debate among the citizens of Canada, but also among Canada’s representatives.

Many Canadians treasure the role of peacekeepers, but it is quite apparent that “peacekeeping” does not really describe the Canadian Military’s role in Afghanistan.  The question that needs to be answered is what the Canadian troop’s role should actually be, but in the mean time they could do more good by providing moral, financial and technical support.

Others feel that if Canadian troops withdraw from the International Security and Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan would have a disastrous impact on the reconstruction effects.  Past foreign involvements in Afghanistan were motivated by regal and ideological competition.  The many foreign powers neither signed the Afghanistan Compact, nor were they striving to build a stable and democratic society.  Today, more than 70 nations are working together to stabilize Afghanistan and consolidate its new democracy.

Everyone has their own opinion when it is happening in another country, but if this same situation was to happen in Canada many people would have different feelings.  If another country was to invade Canada and say there are people being mistreated, this would completely unfair if they did not understand our culture and history.  This is what has happened in Afghanistan, people outside of that country that are invading do not fully understand the culture of the people in Afghanistan.

One of the most significant reasons for Canada’s involvement is the country’s own national security.  One cannot deny the real security imperative Canadians will face if Afghanistan’s stabilization efforts fail, and the country becomes the domain of terrorists.

For the record, I opposed Canada’s involvement in the invasion of Afghanistan.  I did not question the brutality of the Taliban, nor the fact that they provided a haven of al-Qaeda.  Although I was not convinced at the time that invading the country was the best way to improve the matter.

Darren Kuropotwa: Discussed the power of information and how he posts his students work online. Through this he demonstrated how the quality of their work had change greatly. Darren also talked about the use of scribe posting, reflecting on the posts. It is important for students to be able to voice their opinions, this technique works especially well with students who don’t feel comfortable speaking in front of others.

Kathy Cassidy: Spoke about blogs and Online Learning Portfolios. In her classroom she uploads an audio file onto her blog of her students doing different things, like reading or some of their assignments. This is a great way of allowing the parents of becoming more aware and involved in what their child is doing at school. Kathy also has a Wiki space called “Alphabet Antics”, which she uses to post videos of her students learning and teaching the alphabet. One thing that I thought was really awesome is how she had a geologist in her grade ones by using Skype.

Clarence Fisher: Raises a very good question – a question that needs to be answered “How do we educate kids to see literacy in a different way?” Things change so rapidly, and this in turn results in the need to view literacy in a different ways. Clarence said networking and the sharing of information leads to an increase of success. It’s very difficult for us to adapt ourselves to this new way, because we have not been taught like this before. Clearly we have to find a way to efficiently educate our students and our future society on becoming literate in today’s world surrounded by technology.

For my project I am sticking with my original idea, I am doing it in a power point format.  So far I have taken pictures and I know what I am going to say about them when I voice over them.  The only spot I am having a little bit of difficulty with is the video.  I want to put in a small video clip, but I`m just not sure what should be in the video.  I`m thinking maybe an interview, but I`ll see how that goes.

I am really enjoying this mentoring, it is one if the coolest things I have ever done. The other day I got to give my presentation to a class in Florida and let the kids ask some questions. The children were awesome, they were so energetic and had so many questions for me. I was super happy that I could help them understand math and some of its applications. These students made my day.