Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

Jessica Rudd: Computer Utilizations in Instruction Acceptable Use Policies in Schools The grade level that Im choosing as my focus for this class is 7th grade. I am pursuing my license for Middle Grades Language Arts. I have done the majority of my job shadowing and observations at Githens Middle School in Durham, but I was unable to locate that particular schools Acceptable Use Policy for internet use. I was, however, able to find one for Ligon School, a middle school in neighboring Wake County. The policy I found on the schools website is essentially a handout, presumably given to all students to take home and have signed by their parents, IF, in fact, their parents are in agreement with the policy and will give permission for their child to use school-issued computers with internet access. The permission form begins by explaining, first off, WHY students are going to be allowed to use the internet. It explains, rightly so, that the internet can serve as a valuable resource for students who are conducting a wide range of research on a wide range of topics. In this day and age, we are so heavily dependent upon technology in our day to day lives, it is important for students to begin learning how to navigate web pages and employ the use of computers and the internet to assist with school assignments. There is a plethora of information available on the internet, and Ligon School hopes to be able to expose its students to this opportunity. However, the benefits of internet use do come with risks. Not only is the students work susceptible to being made public via the internet, but kids at this sensitive age group of young adolescence, also need to be taught the ground rules for online navigation. Computers are expensive pieces of property and not to be mistreated. The student must be held accountable for protecting the machine, but also for conducting themselves in a responsible and mature manner while online. Because kids in the 7th grade may not all be mature enough to handle the responsibility of operating a thousand dollar machine, the parents must sign this policy as a sort of promise that if their child damages the property in any way, they can be held accountable. The policy also notifies parents that because the computers are considered school property, administrators always retain the right to check files or review a students history on the device. Tying into this, the school also reserves the right to revoke a students computer and/or internet privilege if the rules are not being followed. Chapter One Reflection

Chapter one of the text contains a substantial amount of information about the new age in which we live, The Information Age, and describes how and why, as teachers, we must exemplify technology-based literacy skills. One interesting point made in the text was that as the times have changed so much, with such heavy reliance on technology, that teachers must be expected to be computer-literate, just as they are expected to be able to read and write. I found it to be an appropriate

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

comparison, considering just how heavily we rely on technology for every aspect of life, from education, to work, to social. The new common core standards in the state of North Carolina, express heavy reliance on teaching 21st century learning skills to students. In order to be able to successfully teach these new skills to students, the teacher herself, must be proficient with these technologies. The different forms of media included under the umbrella of technology, do not mean to imply simply internet use, but the wide range of medias, including white boards, overhead projectors, and computers. All of these various mediums are meant to help the teacher reach out to a diverse class of multi-level learners, and are meant to help facilitate the learning process beyond what a student can typically gather from lecture alone. Coinciding with the common core standards, are the main tenets of the No Child Left Behind Act, which state that by the end of the 8th grade, students should be technologically proficient. This is extremely important for me to take into account, since I will be teaching this age group, and more responsibility falls of me to ensure that students are on grade level with their technological abilities by the time they enter high school. Educational technology literacies are constantly growing and changing, and because of this, it is increasingly important for teachers to not only see themselves as educators, but also as lifelong learners, who are always willing to stay up to date on the new technologies that arise. There are a multitude of ways to continue training, including workshops, adult learner classes at local colleges, and online training programs, offered by Microsoft, Apple, and other software programs. Its reassuring to know that there are so many opportunities out there for teachers to stay up to date on the ever-changing technological skills needed to be an effective educator in todays 21st century classroom.

Jessica Rudd Chapter 8 Assignment: Evaluation of Microsoft Office Desktop Publishing Software

Website link for software information: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/publisher-help/what-s-new-in-publisher-2013-HA102840104.aspx

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Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

*While the software itself can be quite pricey, Microsoft offers free trials for the program, along with inclusion with the regular Office Suite program, a program that most schools and teachers will likely already have access to. *It is user-friendly, with plenty of online/phone technical support available. The website provided gives an additional link to a blog with other helpful tips and hints on how to navigate the software *The program is suitable for most machines, and set-up is easy; With the click of a button, the software should automatically download to computer after purchase *Save features are pretty typical for a Microsoft office program. Will be prompted to save material before closing. *Suitable for all grade levels. If students are at an age where they cannot benefit from using the software themselves, the teacher will be able to tailor class handouts, correspondences home to parents to the particular grade/age level. *Microsoft offers a way to automatically link the published handout to a webpage, allowing easier access for parents to continuously check the class website for information. *Cost is typical. The entire Office Suite for Professionals run over $300, but Microsoft does offer free trials of the program. If only publisher is needed, that can be purchased separately for $129.00

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

As an aspiring Language Arts teacher, I feel that digital technologies would be beneficial on multiple levels for classroom instruction. The Kodak company recently filed for bankruptcy; it is evident that todays world relies heavily on digital camera technology. Digital cameras allow the user to capture images and easily transfer those images to a computer hard drive, allowing teachers to add class photos of current projects to a class webpage. I feel very strongly about teachers making an effort to communicate effectively with parents on the day-to-day happenings in class. I love seeing pictures posted of my daughters school days and the activities they have participated in. A picture is worth a thousand words. It is so easy with todays digital camera technology, to print out photos of the class activity, post photos to the internet, or attach images to newsletters to send home. This is one of the many great advantages of digital technologies in the classroom. I remember as a student when the scantron was first introduced as a test format. This particular grading method allowed the teacher to more efficiently return grades to students, allowing both herself and the student where they stand as far as performance objectives. There is nothing worse than waiting weeks and weeks for a teacher to return a test grade so that the student knows what assignments could use more attention and where they are succeeding the most. Scantrons, as a form of test grading, make the teachers job much easier when it comes to assessing student performance, and making any necessary changes to the curriculum to improve student learning. I cant think of a better way to enhance the learning process than by the use of touch screens. Technology has come such a long way in recent years, with the development of the iPad, smart phones, iPod touches, etcthat I start to wonder how we ever did without these technologies in classrooms. At Durham Academy, one of the most prestigious schools in the county, all students are issued a personal iPad device to use with assignments. Online books can be downloaded, as well as educational games ranging everywhere from math problems to exploration in creativity. This type of technology is easy for everyone to learn, no matter the age, and if dealing with an older group of students, I have seen firsthand, how much more engaged students become when they are allowed to conduct research for projects on iPod touches during Social Studies class. One particular digital technology which interested me was in this same 7th grade Social Studies class. The teacher consistently employed the use of a digital whiteboard---specifically the Prometheus board. This was like a large computer screen at the front of the class that she could link directly with her personal computer. She was able to use this one device to conduct class lessons, track student behavior, and show media clips. The students really responded positively to it. She was able to fully engage students in the lesson by having volunteers go to the white board and write the correct answer a stylus pen, or drag animated characters from behind icebergs and place them in the correct vocabulary ship. I hope that I have the benefit of one day working in a school that has ample funds to provide this type of digital technology for the class. Assignment 3-Jessica Rudd How is Fair Use different from copyright?

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

The Fair Use guidelines in place are a mere section of the U.S. Copyright Laws, so therefore, there is a fine line of distinction between the two. Section 107 of U.S. Copyright laws detail some of the major tenets of the Fair Use Guidelines that are to be upheld by the United States court system. There is a very fine line between a reproduction of a work, or part of a work, and what is actually considering copyright infringement. In past cases, courts have ruled that the reproduction of a work that falls under the current fair use guidelines, is one which has been quoted, in small part for purposes of instruction, education, lesson plans for teachers, or quotations of short passages in various scholarly works---used as examples. Libraries are allowed to lawfully reproduce part of a work in order to replace a damaged part, and teachers are allowed to reproduce segments of a copyrighted work in order to conduct a classroom lesson. Typically, when trying to determine whether a work has been lawfully reproduced, courts will take into account a variety of factors, including, but not limited to: if the work has been reproduced for nonprofit, educational use, the nature of the copyrighted work, the amount of the work that was reproduced, and the effect of that use on the value of the whole work. In general, a good guideline to follow is to always ask permission from the owner of the copyrighted material. The copyright office cannot grant permission for this, only the owner. An instance that comes to mind most recently in news headlines was the family of Marvin Gaye filing suit against Robin Thicke for his Blurred Lines song, claiming that the song had many, obvious similarities to their late fathers song, Got to Give it Up. Because the original copyright owner is deceased, and because Thicke did not ask for permission to produce a song similar in tune to the original work, the Gaye family attempted to sue. This is an example of the fine line between fair use and actual infringement.

Lesson Plan Assignment

1. Develop a lesson plan in your content area and grade level that includes the use of at least one of the following technology tools (Word Processing, Spread Sheet, Database

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

and/or instructional software reviewed). Include the use of Internet resources in your lesson plan.

Content of the Lesson Plan Title : A comparison of Mildred Taylors novel with the film Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry. Grade : 7th Grade Curriculum Areas Addressed : Language Arts Curriculum Competency Objectives : After reading the novel, students will be shown the movie during class. In the online class blog, students will write a comparison of the two different formats of the story. For homework, students will use the internet to perform a small research project of the historical significance of the time period during which the novel takes place (1930s Mississippi). In groups, students will develop a 10-minimum slide Powerpoint presentation dealing with historical events that can be tied to the events in the story. Technology Performance Objectives : R7.7 -Compare written story to filmed version, analyzing effects of techniques unique to each medium. W6.6- Use technology, including the Internet to produce and publish writing. W8.8-

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

Gather information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively. SL5.5-Include multimedia components in presentations.

Materials Needed : Novel, computer with internet access, Powerpoint software to be provided during class time. Time : 1 week to complete online journal and Powerpoint AFTER novel and film have been completed Prerequisite content Knowledge and skills : Students will have read and discussed the main themes of the novel during class, and will have watched the video. 7th Grade students are familiar with Jim Crow laws, segregation, and the Great Depression. Prerequisite computer knowledge and skills : Teacher will provide a brief demo on how to develop Powerpoint slides so that when students are formed into groups, they have a firm knowledge about how the program works. Internet Resource : http://www.besthistorysites.net/index.php/research Google Relevant Terms: The Great Depression, Jim Crow Laws, Sharecropping, Racial Etiquette

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

Teacher presentation: : Teacher will provide handouts noting the main points discussed in class about the novel and the film. Teacher will give a brief history of the time period during which the novel was written and provide students with a list of internet sources that can be used as valid resources when completing Powerpoint presentations.
Jessica Rudd Computer Utilizations in Instruction Spring 2014

Internet Searches for 7th Grade Language Arts 1. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/lit-elements/ Read, Write, Think is a great website for teachers of all grade levels. This particular site gives an online format for students to create their own graphic organizers. It is a very versatile site, that allows students to plug in information on the work they are reading, the author, and which type of graphic organizer they want to use. Options given are character maps, conflict maps, resolution, and setting. I think this would be very useful for students in the 7th grade to organize their thoughts and also expose them to using technology to aid in the lesson. 2. http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/interactives/plot-diagram/ This is another section of the Read, Write, Think website, that provides students with a plot diagram where they can plug in known information and the site plugs in information to the diagram, allowing students to see the main points of the plot of a certain story. This is great for exposing students to the different elements of plot, the conflict, resolution, rising action. It can also be tailored to fit the needs of younger students, or students in the 7th grade who need more assistance with figuring out the different elements of a story, which can be broken down into laymen terms of beginning, middle, and end. 3. https://www.time4learning.com/Scope-Sequence/7th-language-arts.shtml This is a wonderful source for teachers who are looking for different types of class activities. There are 122 different lesson ideas provided, based upon grade level and learning outcomes. The site provides a worksheet, where the teacher can keep track of students grades and assess students throughout the school year to determine what is being learned and where they may need additional help.

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

4. https://www.time4learning.com/curriculum/demos.html For a small fee, one that could possibly be provided by the school, students have access through this site to online reading games, vocabulary lists for games, and other online tutorials. This site allows students to use the computer to actually learn the material being presented in class, as opposed to just reading vocabulary words on the board. This guarantees increased student engagement in the lesson. 5. http://www.schoolonwheels.org/tutor-center/academic-program-k-7/activities-andworksheets/7th-grade-language-arts This website actually provides an endless number of worksheets that the teacher can print out for her students, depending on what the learning outcomes for class are. 6. http://www.pinterest.com/brooke2966/teaching-7th-grade-language-arts/ While sites such as Pinterest are mostly regarded as social network sites, with the increased usage by these sites by professionals, ideas for classroom instruction can be shared via the internet. This particular page contains tons of interesting and creative ideas for use in classroom instruction. 7. http://www.edupad.com/itooch/seventh-grade-language-arts-app/ This site was developed by a group of middle school teachers. It contains links for lesson plan ideas, online games and reading activities, and printable worksheets. The app can be downloaded through Windows or various tablets, allowing for multiple uses on different devices. 8. http://www.classdojo.com/ Class dojo is a behavior management software that can be used to track student behavior during class, but also allows teachers to compile reports and handouts to send home to parents. The cartoon characters that are used as student avatars make 7th grade students more eager to follow rules and maintain good behavior during class. 9. http://www.corestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/RL/7/ This website provides links for the common core standards on the national and state level. This would be helpful for teachers to have bookmarked for a reference guide on what their lessons should consist of in order to meet the required standards. 10. http://www.internet4classrooms.com/grade_level_help/language_language_arts_seventh_ 7th_grade.htm This site goes further in explaining the state standards required for the 7th Grade Language Arts classroom. Along with listing the standards that will hopefully be met by performing certain lessons, the site also provides a guideline for class activities that can be used to achieve student learning for standards. The web page is broken down and organized in such a way that teachers can easily access what topic they are looking for, including grammar work, reading and writing skills, parts of speech, etc.

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

11. http://englishlinx.com/common_core/7/ This website aligns common core standards with a series of printable worksheets that can be handed out to students. Worksheet topics include reading, writing, speaking and listening, and comprehension skills. 12. http://www.funbrain.com/ Funbrain contains a vast array of online class activities that can be used by 7th graders to enhance the lesson plan. There are subjects for math, arcade games, online reading and various other options. This website can be used for free time, or just to expose students to online use.

The nature of the Scientists Knowledge

Using the language of knowledge states and operators, how can we characterize more precisely the knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems? A physicist solving the sled problem might begin a solution in the following way. The key thing is that the sled (with the boy) moves at constant speed. That means theres no net force increasing or decreasing the speed of this system. So, in each direction, the forces on the boy-sled system must balance, yielding a zero net force. I can therefore separately add up the horizontal and vertical components of the forces on the boy-sled system and make them balance. In the horizontal direction, the forces are the horizontal component of force due to the rope Frh , and the frictional force f. These forces balance, so Frh = f. In the

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Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

vertical direction, the downward force is equal to the weight of the boy-sled system (W). The upward force is a combination of the vertical component of the force due to the rope, Frv , and the normal force N exerted on the sled by the snow. The upward and downward forces must balance, so N + Frv = W. [Note that the expert picks up a point that the student, simply juggling symbols, missed: the normal force alone does not balance the full weight of the boy and sled, because the girl is pulling up as well as forward.] The frictional force f depends on the normal force N and the coefficient of friction r. So f = rN. I can now combine these equations to solve for r in terms of Fr and W. [Note that the expert has not yet used specific numerical values for any of the quantities, but first solves the problem in general.] Even these initial statements soggiest a very different solution process from that of typical physics students. What can we infer about the knowledge states and operators used here? First, the scientists initial state seems to be quite different from the symbol-quantity state characteristic of students. The physicists initial state, for example, clearly contains the information that the sleds speed is constant and explicitly groups the boys and sled, calling them the boy-sled system. Then, the physicist applies successive operators, which each add more information about the system. The first operator applied adds the information that in every direction the forces on this system must balance, or yield a net force of zero. The next operators add information about the forces in the horizontal and vertical direction. There is a very visual or spatial flavor to these comments, and physicist solutions often contain diagrams like that in Figure 8.3.

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Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

The nature of the Scientists Knowledge

Scientist

Using the language of knowledge states and operators, how can we characterize more precisely the knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems? A physicist solving the sled problem might begin a solution in the following way.http://www.nasa.gov The key thing is that the sled (with the girl) moves at constant speed. That means theres no net force increasing or decreasing the speed of this system. So, in each direction, the forces on the girl-sled system must balance, yielding a zero net force. I can therefore separately add up the horizontal and vertical components of the forces on the girl-sled system and make them balance. In the horizontal direction, the forces are the horizontal component of force due to the rope Frh , and the frictional force f. These forces balance, so Frh = f. In the vertical direction, the downward force is equal to the weight of the girl-sled system (W). The upward force is a combination of the vertical component of the force due to the rope, Frv , and the normal force N exerted on the sled by the snow. The upward and downward forces must balance, so N + Frv = W. [Note that the expert picks up a point that the student, simply juggling symbols, missed: the normal force alone does not balance the full weight of the girl and sled, because the girl is pulling up as well as forward.] The frictional force f depends on the normal force N and the coefficient of friction r. So f = N. I can now combine these equations to solve for r in terms of F and W. [Note that the expert has not yet used specific numerical values for any of the quantities, but first solves the problem in general.] Even these initial statements soggiest a very different solution process from that of typical physics students. What can we infer about the knowledge states and operators used here?

F
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irst, the scientists initial state seems to be quite different from the symbolquantity state characteristic of students. The physicists initial state, for example, clearly contains the information that the sleds speed is constant and explicitly groups the girls and sled, calling them the girl-sled system. Then, the physicist applies successive operators, which each add more information about the system.

Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

he first operator applied adds the information that in every direction the forces on this system must balance, or yield a net force of zero. The next operators add information about the forces in the horizontal and vertical direction. There is a very visual or spatial flavor to these comments, and physicist solutions often contain diagrams like that in Figure 8.3.

Using the language of knowledge states and operators, how can we characterize more precisely the knowledge a scientist brings to solving problems?

Microsoft Excel

Courseware

Windows XP

Operating Systems

Word Processin g

Simulatio n

Internet Explorer

Windows Vista

Database

Problem Solving

Powerpoin t

Windows XP

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Jessica Rudd

Instructional Technologies

Spring 2014

Homepage: background color-red, image: laptop on desk, font: sans serif 36 for heading, 12 for text. Text colorwhite

About: background colorred. Image: NCCU eagle. Text color: gray

Contact: Image: NCCU eagle. Text color gray

NCCU-Instructional Technologies-Spring 2014

Jessica Rudd Portfolio

email link

Technology and the common coreweb page link

Edutopia blog link

Slideshow-technology/classroom pictures

Youtube video-technology in the classroom

Chapter Reflections

Class Assignments

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Link to word document containing all reflections

Link to word document containing all class assignments