Interactivity #3

Google Spreadsheet of Technologies for English Content Area    


 I felt that it was very much an individual event.  There was initial interaction as to who was going to set up the spread sheet and how to input the data but after we set up the Google Spreadsheet it was very much an individual task.  We did not split the research into any sections, we all did our own research.  There was no set structure for inputting data, we did that at our leisure.  It was easier to make the interactivity more individual because of time conflicts with class and work schedules.

     I think that we made a pretty decent list - there were certainly technologies that I had never thought of, so I think we tried thinking outside of the box.  They would all relate well to the English content area.  I particularly like the "Apps" section of our Spreadsheet.  Being new to the iPhone it was really fun to research apps that would aid a student in an English class.  The apps like the "Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms" would have been something I would have LOVED in high school to help me from confusing the literary terms.  

     We had a section called "Assessment" in our Spreadsheet and it gave examples of things such as online tests and online rubrics that students and teachers could use to assess themselves/the students throughout a lesson.  That would be extremely helpful in the CURR314 class.  The "turnitin" website is a useful tool for teachers since plagiarism is an unfortunate epidemic in classrooms.  In regards to READ411, the column "Homework Tools and Test Prep" had 2 entries - "Analogy of the Day" would be an interesting "Do Now" for teachers to ask students to write about and "Vocabulary Enrichment" would help students in regards to test preparation as well as reinforcing the vocabulary of the lesson.

Technology: Too Invasive?

This Forbes article about how Target tracks its customers' purchases seems helpful on the surface - doling out coupons for things you use/could potentially use, but in reality it is very invasive to the general public.  So the question I am posing is - does technology sometimes allow companies to get too invasive into the general public's lives?


Forbes Article

Just a Thought

Even though this is an article regarding parents it can be helpful in the classroom too to think about this as we are teaching...


Are We Raising a Generation of Helpless Kids?

Interactivy #2

       The focus of the video was on instructional television and its advantages. There was little discussion about the way it can enhance an English classroom, but very focused on the Mathematics and Science content areas. Since it is well known that the United States values a Math and Science curriculum, it seems that an English content area teacher is left to figure out technological tools in the classroom by themselves.

       The technology I would pick would be the television. Since it's inception into the home it has been a source of information. Different means of information have been introduced into classrooms since the construction of common schools. Pamphlets, flyers, posters, and so forth were the starting point. Then came the introduction of the television into the classroom (Domine 31-32). 

       This introduction of the television changed the ways in which information was relayed to students. Moving images, words and the ability to see beyond the classroom are some of the capabilities the television has to offer. That is the pipe dream of the TV in the classroom. Unfortunately, like many other great ideas, when used improperly they can get a bad reputation. Television use inside of the classroom has been linked with capitalistic consumerism. Supporters of the protectionist perspective see technology in schools as a proponent for media to bias the students (Domine 36-37). An example of the feared media infiltration and propaganda in schools would be the Channel One news program. “Protestors of Channel One argued that the two minutes of commercial advertising violated students' civil rights. Educator and activist Jonathan Kozol called Channel One nothing more than a corporate rain on education” (Domine 38).

       This technological advancement seems to have had the biggest impact on my content area. The television was the start of all of the other technologies in a classroom. As a future English teacher, the computer seems to be a good way to reinforce certain materials like watching a play that we are reading in class on TV or gaining relevant contemporary information through TV channels. The argument that television is a proponent of propaganda can actually be helpful in an English class. While yes, advertising that targets students is not the best way to utilize technology, it can be helpful to teach different English lessons. The suggestion of teaching students how to decode these media messages would correlate well in an English classroom and could be incorporated well into lessons.

This image is appropriate because in a classroom technology can be very overwhelming.  This can be the case if the teacher is not adequately prepared or able to make technology a seamless part of the everyday classroom curriculum.

WORKS CITED

Domine, Vanessa Elaine. Rethinking technology in schools primer. New York: Peter Lang, 2009. Print.