Hey Class!!

For my article I read about rural districts implementing online learning in their schools. For many of us that went to school in more populated areas, online courses and resources seemed to be readily available. For these four districts in the rural areas of Oregon, online courses was more a lifeline to them than anything else. Online courses allowed the students to take courses that were not available to them because of under staffing and lack of financial resources. The idea of online learning was new to them and they are just beginning to understand the advantages of multiple educational resources. It allows them a richer selection of offerings. The goal for them was to remove barriers that were created due to lack of resources and teachers, and have low cost shared services between schools, and ultimately promote student innovation. Unfortunately classes offered online were only really available to those with high GPAs and that were either seniors or juniors. Some districts offered them to other students but at a cost. These courses allowed students to catch up on credits and graduate on time. It gave them the support to continue progressing in their education and not give up. I think that the use of technology in areas that are so rural give students the opportunity to communicate with other schools and to share ideas. I think that this is extremely beneficial, however, I feel that they need to come to some solution so that every students is offered the availability of taking online courses.

Thanks,
Brooke Gerrard

Brown, Don W. (March/April 2012). Rural Districts Bolster Choices With Online Learning. International Society for Technology in Education, 39(6). Retrieved from
http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-and-leading/issues/Rural_Districts_Bolster_Choices_with_Online_Learning.aspx

Hey Class!

I have always appreciated the use of rubrics in my classes. They are handed out before the assignement as well as reviewed in detail, which allows for us as students to understnad what is expected of us and what quaillity of work will earn us our desired grades. As aspiring techers it makes a clear undersntading to the students how assginemtns will be graded and eases the grading process for us all. Therefore, we are all aware of what is to be done and what is expected, this keeps all students on task. What I liked the most is the idea of students creating their own rubrics or contributing to existing teacher rubrics, this way they are involved in their assessment process. Ultimately, allowing students to create their own rubrics empowers them and encourages them to take charge of their education. Rubrics are objective and very clear cut. I believe that rubrics improve students' end products because they have a checklist in front of them to complete, they know what they need to do. There have been so many classes where I thought I turned in a great end product but I received a low grade. This is because the teacher was looking for different things than I expected. Rubrics eliminate this frustration. I feel that rubrics allow students to better understand their work and to judge the quality of it. It is always consistent and really works hard to eliminate bias by teachers. For teachers it reduces the amount of time we must spend grading becuase we have specific things to look for. When I teach I will be using rubrics in my classroom.

Thanks,
Brooke Gerrard

Hey Class!!

I watched the video on Elementary school Common Core Standards. At first, like many of the teachers mentioned in the video, was scared by the idea of changing the standards in which we teach by and students learn by, and I'm not even a teacher yet!!! However, after watching the video I found that it was more than possible to implement and the schools showcased in this video were excelling. I was impressed by the way in which they were building a student's foundation beginning in Kindergarten. The students were learning at an exceptional rate. When they discussed English Language learners, they were struggling only a little and it was the responsibility of the teacher to support them and continue their progression in learning. The common core standards are about unifying education across the nation. I believe doing so puts all of us as educators on the same page and allows for more collaboration on ideas. For math, students are focusing not only on simple problem solving but using experiences and real life situations to relate these problems to students. I work with students in second to fifth grade and many of the second graders are not at the level that the Kindergartners in the video are at with regard to math. With these standards we are building a foundation that students can rely on and use to better prepare themselves for college and their future careers. Faster learners seem to excel, whereas, those that struggle through these new methods, teachers are able to discover where exactly the student is having difficulty. The main point of these standards is to limit the focus of what is expected so that they can perfect the aspects that are important and necessary in education. We must focus on fewer ideas and domains and truly develop the progression of these standards as students progress through school. I find that these standards are great at bringing the nation together on a collective idea of what we as teachers should teach and what students should be learning, as well as at what grade they should be learning it. I find that students were able to make better inferences and relate their learning in the classroom to their lives outside of school. These standards promote a deeper way of learning. No matter what, students and teachers require time to implement these new standards and to really understand how they work within the classroom.

Thanks
Brooke Gerrard

Hey Everyone!!!

I read the first article discussing computational thinking in the classroom. I believe that CT is a vital resource and very useful if brought into the classroom setting. I think that not all students learn in the same manner, and as Professor Campo mentioned, while one of her students seemed to struggle with most of the assignments expected of him, he excelled when it came to computational thinking. I find it interesting how such ideas that we always thought of in a certain way can be broken down and transformed into a mathematical and algorithmic system. For me, I began looking at computational thinking in the class when we did scratch and at first had some difficulty with it and still struggle a bit but I think that with practice it is an idea and way of doing work that is possible for students of all ages. I think that computational thinking should be integrated into education for students at a young age. I feel that computational thinking can be extremely beneficial to students with learning disabilities because it allows them to break down a problem and look at it as a puzzle to be solved. I find that those with disabilities and impairments may benefit the most and if they benefit from this type of learning than most students will as well. However, when we saw the video of the man discussing the way in which doing math would change I had some disagreements and reservations. I think that what he was talking about can be done at certain times but to suggest that computation would be completely done by computers as oppose to students with regard to math seems unfathomable. Computational thinking is a way in which to expand learning and to integrate the use of computers and other forms of technology into a students educational lifetime. Computers are something that a student will continue to encounter throughout their lives and I find it to be useful if we as educators begin to take a closer look at computational thinking. I also liked the examples within my article of how specific classes used computational thinking within their lessons.

Thanks
Brooke Gerrard

Barr, David, John Harrison, and Leslie Conery. (2011). Computational Thinking: A Digital Age Skill for Everyone. Learning and Leading with Technology. 

Hey classmates!

I read the article about the five steps to an accessible website. Although they are factors I am sure I would have considered later when producing my own website, I really was shocked at how little I had previously thought about accessibility on a website. There is a lot more that goes into creating an accessible website and a lot of consideration must be paid to those with hearing, seeing, and speech disabilities, as well as those with movement and cognitive impairments.
The author of the article believes that there are five steps to making a truly accessible website. They include: organization, navigation without a mouse, text explanations for images, text that makes sense, and web validators. A few of the issues that stuck out to me and reminded me of my own previous concerns with other websites were with regard to organization. It is important to not set up your website where it requires horizontal scrolling, and I couldn't agree more. I have a difficult time navigating websites that are set up this way on certain computers and it makes it difficult to organize the information in your own research. Another valid point with regard to the organization of one's website is to keep in mind how your colors are working together, there are too many times where I simply cannot read the information I find on the computer screen which is extremely frustrating. I believe that as we begin to set up our websites that we must pay attention to these issues. I may need some assistance with a few of these aspects but I think it is important that if you are trying to convey information and messages through a website that everyone can access it.

Thank you
Brooke Gerrard

The Beginner's Guide to Interactive Virtual Field Trips

Hi Class,

I had actually never heard of this idea before but it makes complete sense. Due to the cost and efficiency of actual field trips schools have significantly cut down on the amount of field trips they take. Unfortunately when they do take field trips they are simple, in the near vicinity, and inexpensive. This does not allow for a great field trip experience and limits what the student can learn and the teacher can teach. With virtual field trips anywhere is possible. They have Asynchronous field trips which are not in real time. Meaning they are websites that one can access to view videos, pictures, and facts. The idea I was most excited about was Interactive field trips that take place in real time over video-conferencing in which the students can visit museums, etc., and take a virtual tours with experienced and knowledgeable educators. This is a perfect solution to costly field trips and still has all the same advantages. It takes learning to a deeper level and allows students to become excited and engaged by education. When I become a teacher I hope to be able to utilize these kinds of resources in my classroom.

Thank you,

Brooke Gerrard

Blogging...

Hi Class!

I agree that blogging is worth the risk. I think that as professionals we should be able to censure our words and to promote good communication and an environment of collaboration. I believe that we understand what is appropriate and inappropriate and that blogging is a good use of technology to inspire others to communicate on ideas and projects. As a teacher is provides a great example to our students of the ways in which technology can be useful in the classroom. It is impossible for us to communicate outside of the classroom without the use of technology and I believe that blogging sites are a perfect forum for students and teachers alike to voice their opinions and ideas. I do not believe that we should be fearful of the repercussions but we should be cautious of words and the messages that we are sending. However, i feel that that is no different that physically being in the classroom; the same is true. I would encourage blogging to be utilized for both teachers and students.