Reflection on ELED 3300

     An extremely beneficial tool I learned about in this class (Instructional Design Technology) was from the project where we created a portaportal.  (My portaportal is located under "Some website to check out!" on this page.)  The portaportal website (portaportal.com) allows you to create multiple bookmarks for websites.  You can put these url (website) addresses into categories/folders and have easy access to any url you could ever need.  This website is especially great for teachers.  Why?  Well, with portaportal you can have access to your bookmarked websites at any computer.  So, you can update it at home and have everything you need in your classroom at the same time.  This way, teachers do not have to write down long website addresses, email tons of links to themselves, or even have to bring in their own personal computers.  By just copying and pasting the url into portaportal.com, you can have access to it anywhere.  Having a portaportal account also benefits  students.  It is a great way to incorporate resources on the web into the classroom.  Also, you can allow guest access to your portaportal.  So, students can view a teacher's portaportal and have a quick and easy way to find all the websites that are being used. 

     Portaportal is one of the many great tools that I have learned about in this class.  I've also learned about many other great ways to include technology in the classroom.  Another great resource that I have enjoyed is Picasa.  Picasa is a free software download (you can find it under Google's "Media" links.)  In Picasa, you can create your own movie using the pictures on your computer and music/audio if you want it.  Picasa also allows you to create other slide-show type files.  It really is an amazing resource.  It opens up so many options that allow teachers to use their own spin on a lesson plan, power-point, etc.  I believe that students need a variety of teaching styles, because everyone learns differently.  Teachers who only lecture lose students' interest quickly.  Using Picasa, you can create a fun story-like lesson and even add a song that relates to the lesson, as well as easily incorporating every learning style into your lesson.  Students will love the new teaching style, the visual aspect, and the technology used.  It is easy to use, and anyone could make a professional looking movie using Picasa.  I am very glad to now know about both of these resources (portaportal and picasa) as well as others that will help me use technology and have a head start when I start teaching.

"Mr. Winkle Wakes"

     "Mr. Winkle Wakes" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lm1sCsl2MQY) is a video that Mathew Needleman created. It is a great and simple video that has a powerful message.  In this video he shows how schools are very behind with their technology.  The video also states that, "Mr. Winkle (aka Rip Van Winkle) liked school...it was just as he remembered it...after 100 years."

     In my opinion, this video is very accurate.  Many schools today are behind with their technology.  Unfortunately, many computers are "covered in dust" in the backs of classrooms all over America.  I agree with the point Needleman is making: schools need to catch up!  As a future teacher, I want to be able to teach my students about a variety of things, technology included.  Teachers today need to step up and face their fears of these "machines."  Technology is not going to stop, so we need to make the decision to stay current. 

     So, why are schools not using available technology?  I wish I knew the answer to that.  This video talked about how teachers lecture, students take notes, desks are in perfect lines, etc.  It is all very structured.  Perhaps too structured.  Have teachers gotten too close-minded about their students?  In my opinion, the answer is yes.  I think that many teachers are afraid students will know more about technology than they will (which is probably true in a lot of cases).  However, this is not a bad thing! Teachers can learn from students.  Technology has the potential to break through the structure, the same boring lecture style students hear all day long.  Technology can help teachers teach new learning styles, incorporate images, videos, music, interactive websites, games, and so much more. Finally, students today have grown up with technology all around them.  Teachers today need to get over their "Mr. Winkle" mentality and help students learn in a way that is best for them.

Technology is not something schools should "fear," but encourage.  It can open up so many new doors.

Technology Integration Video

     In the video "Why Online Learning Is a Smart Solution," produced by Ken Ellis (from edutopia.org), Susan Patrick, who is the president and CEO of the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL), explains that virtual education's time has come.

       What she essentially says in the video is that now is the time for online learning.  She discusses how the United States spends more money on education than all other countries except for one; however, we still have huge problems.  We have teacher shortages, unqualified teachers, and more.  So, what she suggests is offering online classes.  Training teachers is also a big part of this plan, according to Patrick.  Next, she talks about how online learning allows students and teachers to use time differently. For example, it gives both students and teachers more flexibility with their time.  Students have to learn to be more responsible, have better time management, and more.  She also states that, "...we are really starting to see that students taking online courses are more engaged...and are having much higher rates of success, in terms of not just finishing the courses but how well they learn and learning how to learn differently in this new modern age."

     I agree with what Susan Patrick is saying in this video.  I also think teachers should take a stand to help students learn to the best of their ability.  In this day and age, technology is often the very key to better learning.  Online classes can be very good for many students.  Students can go at their own pace and have the opportunity for much more.  One specific example Susan used that I enjoyed was the Georgia statistic.  She talked about how, out of 400 high schools in Georgia, there were only 89 qualified physics teachers in the state.  That one example is enough proof for me to believe that the United States needs a new way to allow all students a better learning experience.  Online learning can do just that.  As Ms. Patrick argued and discussed, online learning and the use of technology in a technology based generation is crucial in so many ways.  I strongly believe that if the opportunities and resources are available, then we should never hold students back from this valuable resource.
 
 Online learning, as Susan Patrick says, is a smart solution. 




Here is the video, in case you want to watch it for yourself: