Wednesday, February 11, 2009

WebQuests!

I am really amazed to the idea of using Webquests in teaching and to the choices that they offer!
It is a very innovative way to teach that brings students together by working in groups, discussing, analyzing, taking notes in order to come to a final decision. This for sure helps them a big deal in a deeper understanding of the topic and the main issues that they may encounter.

I really liked the idea of WebQuest, but I am still struggling to create one!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Internet Safety

I find that video really amazing! It answers very important questions and gives valuable information on how to use the internet safely. It is really helpful especially for teenagers.
Using the internet can also be risky sometimes, but this video gives advice and guidelins to protect oneself from being victimized by others. This video gives some useful websites where one can find further information on how to report 'bad users' and what kind of people one should associate with or avoid. Also, it gives advice for people who maybe harrassed and what should they do about it in case that happens by listing some pretty interesting websites!

I really enjoyed watching it!

Monday, February 2, 2009

NETS

National Educational Technology Standards is another model of "Digital-Age" that focuses on 'using technology to learn and teach'. Its goal is to help educators to improve teaching and learning. It proved to be very helpful for both teachers and students as well!.

Teachers apply the NETS for students by assessing students and engaging them, designing, implementing new techniques to improve the learning experience. By using the NETS, teachers's goal is to 'provide positive models for students, colleagues, and the community'. In this respect, teachers play the role of a facilitator and inspirors to students so that they can learn and be creative. It is by engaging students, supporting them and guiding them through a positive use of the digital tools and resources that teachers themselves can create a positive learning environment. Also, teachers are supposed to assess students by designing and developing 'Digital-Age' learning experiences. In addition, teachers should demonstrate a certain level of technological fluency in order to facilitate the use of new technology by students. They should collaborate with their students whenever they may need their help. It is also the teachers' responsibility to engage students socially and culturally through the use of digital-age communication and collaborartion tools. Moreover, teachers should be engaged themselves in "Professional Growth and Leadership" i.e they should participate, evaluate and contribute in the effectiveness of the teaching profession not only of their school, but of the community as a whole.

Students, on the other hand should be creative and innovative by applying the acquired technical knowledge so that they can come up with new models to explore, discover more complex works and issues. They should be able to use the digital media to communicate, collaborate, contribute, develop, produce and solve problems. It is also necessary for students to lead research and be fluent in gathering data by applying digital tools. This would for sure stimulate their critical thinking and make them able to solve problems and make decisions. They also become able to understand social, cultural and human issues related to technology. In other words, by applying technological tools in most of the educational fields, students demonstrate a wider understanding of technological and systematic concepts, and this will help them use their current knowledge of technology to learn more effective tools of new technology.

NJCCCS

NJCCCS for Tecnological Literacy is very intersting as it emphasizes the necessity of the use of technology in education. It is very clearly stated that it is a requirement for students while passing from one grade to the other to acquire a certain level of computer skills and technological literacy. In this respect, technology is very helpful in information gathering and problem solving especially at schools and in the workplace as well where computer skills are required for highly qualified candidates. In other words, students have to be computer literate.

In order to develop positive attitudes about technology, it is essential to introduce computer in the core curriculum standards. This would facilitate the learning activity for both students and instructors. By using computers and technology, students will be able to conduct research easily, solve problems and be very creative.

It is highly stated in the NJCCCS that every student has to have a certain knowledge of technology in each grade sarting from the 4th grade when students are supposed to acquire the basic computer skills and tools to conduct research, solve problems, develop, locate, organize, summarize, etc and then be ready for the following step (the end of 8th grade). By that stage, students should be able to definetly solve problems and make decisions. By the end of the 12th grade, students will be able to "build upon knowledge and skills gained in preceding grades".

In other words, students should follow a certain cycle that can take them from one stage to the other, and each stage/step prepares them for the next, which can only be very promising!