Week+2

= Week 2: Student Response Systems & Google Docs =

Class Agenda:
-Guest Speaker: Mr. G from John McCrae Secondary School 1) Introduction to the SRS systems and their applicability to the educational setting 2) Introduction to Google Docs 3) Google Docs creation: Forms, Presentations, Documents 4) Group lesson plan organization

Reading and Reading Analysis:
This week's reading was a continuation of last week's reading by Ian Jukes. This article begins where last week's article left off. One factor that is analyzed by Jukes is the fact that the 21st century learner's brain is very different from the traditional learner. This Net-Generation learner has changed the educational world. Specific areas that have been affected by the Net-Generation include assessment, evaluation and student learning. Jukes lists seven major changes that must take place in order for students to experience the most positive learning environment. These changes are as follows;
 * 1) It is Time for Educators and Education to Catch Up**: We must use technology and technological applications within our classroom
 * 2)Teachers Must Teach to the Whole Mind:** We must teach towards the different learning styles that exist in our classroom
 * 3) Educators Need to Shift Their Approach:** Student centered learning is the best way for students to develop knowledge and skills
 * 4) We Need to Let Students Access Information Natively:** Stay up to date with technology that could be incorporated into a lesson
 * 5) We Must Let Students Collaborate:** Allow students to build their skills by communicating and working with others
 * 6) We Need to Let Students Create Real World Digital Products:** The Process is as important as the Product. We must consider all aspects of the task as learning experiences.
 * 7) We Must Re-Evaluate Assessment and Evaluation:** We need to create assessment and evaluation tools that test higher order skills. No longer is the mere reproduction of fact a good assessment tool.

This article concludes by Jukes providing methods in which the gap can be lessened between the traditional students and digital learners. He states that as teachers we must work to engage students so that they become imersed and interested in lessons instead of doing them as a means to an end.

After reading this article I believe that it is very important for us as teachers to develop lessons that are influenced by the 7 suggestions. By having lessons that incorporate these actions, we are creating quality activites where students can truly learn. When these suggestions are followed we are giving the 21st century learner the tools needed to become successful and contributing members of today's global society.

For a copy of this week's reading, open the PDF document below.



Technology of the Week: Student Response Systems and Google Docs:
Student Response Systems (SRS): These are mobile input devices that allow for students to digitally interact with a lesson. There are a variety of instances in which these tools can be used to foster student learning, including, formative and summative student assessments, exit cards, and to guage student understanding. The software that is used to analyze the student generated data provides many tools in which data can be stored, organzied and interpreted.

I believe that the SRS devices are very practical within the school setting because they allow for teachers to spend less time on tabulating the results and allows more time for teachers to interpret the results in order to determine the strengths and needs of lessons. These are also important tools for students because they can provide "up to the minute" feedback that gives students the opportunity to understand their strengths and needs. These devices are an interactive method in which student particpation can be encouraged. These devices not only encourage participation, they also force even the most uninterested students to get engaged in the lesson. This is a technological gadget that will catch the interest of DFL students as it brings the lesson into the digital zone, a zone in which students are very compfortable operating in.

Google Docs: This is a form of product generation that allows individuals to store the product in the "cloud". The cloud is a metaphor for an internet storage database where work can be stored and shared with others. By storing this data on an internet server, it can be accessible to others who can also work on the same data. This collaborative method of data generation allows for continual real time editing from individuals working from any area of the earth.

Within this presentation we learned about Google Docs, Forms, Presentations and Calendar. All of these are very effective means of communication between groups of individuals that allow for continual generation of "living documents". An interesting aspect of Google Calendar is that it can be synchronized with Gmail accounts so that automatic reminders of upcoming events can be sent. The most positive factor of this entire application is that there is no entailed cost and all processes are free to all users.

Concerning education, this has been an extremely beneficial class to my own understanding of how to include new age technologies into my teaching practice. Prior to this class, I had not had the opportunity to explore Google Docs. Now that I have experienced this application, I have come to realize that this is a very effective tool to manage and develop communication between students, parents and teachers. As a teaching tool, I would not hesitate to use these applications in my own classroom.