Final Project: Increasing Students' Understanding of Verb Tenses and Forms

Lesson Plan Analysis Map

Session 1:

To begin the lesson in this 3^rd grade class, I will begin by teaching them verbs in each tense, essentially reviewing what they already know from previous grades and expanding their knowledge when teaching past and future tenses. After directly instructing them how to use the graphic organizer successfully, I have added the use of the Smartboard to incorporate the use of the graphic organizer, so as to give each student a chance to apply their knowledge. Each student will be given a verb and will come up to the Smartboard and correctly fill in a blank chart with the correct form of each verb. Once I have determined that each student has successfully mastered the completion of the chart, we will then move on as a whole class to the next part of the session. Students will then complete two individual assignments for the duration of the class using two different websites dedicated to enforcing correct verb usage. Each website allows children to practice their knowledge between verbs and nouns: Be and Clean Up Your Grammar. The homework assignment will also include two different websites that will allow students to practice using the verb “to be” in its correct tenses. The first is Noun or Verb and the second is To Be. Students will be required to print their scores and return them to class the next day. The homework is a type of formative assessment, as they will only be tested on the knowledge they acquire during that day’s lesson.

Session 2:

This next class will pick up where students’ left off in the previous class, continuing to broaden their knowledge of how verbs are used in sentences. Using a PowerPoint presentation that I have created, I will teach the students what verb phrases are and how to recognize them within sentences. I will provide them with examples during the presentation so as to ensure they receive adequate practice before moving on to their individual work. For their individual assignments, students will follow the same format as the previous class, in which they will use two websites (Verb Power and Verb Viper) to continue to enforce their knowledge regarding verb phrases. Each website consists of educational games that students will play so they get the benefit of learning and practicing their expanding knowledge, but have fun while they learn so as to ensure alertness and rid boredom. The homework assignment will also be a website (Complete Verb Phrases) that students will access and print the scores which they will bring to class the next day. This homework assignment is a type of formative assessment because they are only tested on knowledge they have acquired during that day’s lesson.

Session 3:

This next session will entail students’ broadening their knowledge of verbs even further, as I teach them about linking verbs. Using the same format as the previous class, I will use a PowerPoint presentation to explain to them what linking verbs are, where they are typically found in a sentence and common examples of linking verbs. Students will be provided with examples during the presentation to help them practice identifying this type of verb. Differing from the format of the first two sessions, students will now be put into pairs and will participate in group work. To do so, they will access a website that will bring them to a “Jeopardy” game. Students will take turns answering questions provided by the website. Their homework for that night will require them to review the material that they have learned the past three sessions. To study, they can use the websites that I have provided them from the previous sessions to continue to practice these skills.

Session 4:

This session will conclude the lesson of teaching verb tenses and forms. To assess the students’ knowledge and understanding of the lesson that has taken place over the course of 3 classes, I will be using a summative assessment through a website. Students will access the website and complete a total of three quizzes: Verb/Noun Collocations, VerbTense Practice, and WAS or WERE. They will print the scores they receive after each quiz and turn them into me when they are finished. A summative assessment is necessary at this point to ensure that each student has fully comprehended the objective of each session.

The addition of the websites, PowerPoint, and Smartboard to each session will truly motivate the students and heighten their interest. The websites will especially engage them, as they are interactive and fun all while informative and educational.

*It has been assured that each student has a computer at home from which they can access the internet.

Increasing Technology, Decreasing Drop Out Rates

     I find this article interesting due to the fact that before I came to college, I did not have nearly as much technological integration in my high school classrooms. This article offers the statistic that, “It’s been found that students in so-called “blended learning” environments with access to computer-assisted instruction and technology-integrated learning systems fare better than those in traditional classrooms” (1). This is an interesting fact to learn especially considering the fact that “although a higher-education degree is needed more than ever, college dropout rates are approaching 50 percent” (1). To me, this is an alarming rate. This article stands by the fact that if all schools, particularly colleges, completely integrate their curriculum with technology, they will see significantly fewer failure rates.

     I do feel as though the technology that I have experienced at the college level has definitely impacted my learning in a positive way, although in some instances it severely compromised my grade. However, more often than not, if a professor fully explains how to use the technological device or website, the students fare much better than being thrown into something new that they have never worked with before. Technological integration in the college classroom, in my experience, has definitely allowed myself as well as my fellow classmates to explore multiple aspects of the curriculum that we would not have had instant access to otherwise. Although it is difficult to implement a host of technologies into college classrooms due to the expense and vast amount of students, it is definitely worth implementing at a rate that is affordable.  Perhaps down the road, the more technology that is produced, the less drop outs we will see.

The Benefits of Technological Integration in Classrooms

     This article is particularly relevant to this class, as it surrounds the argument as to why technological integration within classrooms will bring out positive outcomes. I appreciated that in the beginning of the article, it explained that this subject has now been an ongoing issue for quite some time, with each positive and negative outcome cancelling the other out, basically leaving the issue at a standstill. While some advocate for integration, others are much more hesitant. I must, though, highlight the fact that this article contains some of the most compelling arguments about technological integration that I have thus far come across. Often times, when I read articles with authors trying to convince me that technology in the classroom is all for the better, I am left unaware as to why they believe so other than the standard, “it’s the way of the future.”
     However, Vineet Madan provides his readers with actual examples that are not far-fetched and also does rationalize, stating that feedback from teachers is necessary: “Solving the education crisis in America will take more than simply putting tablets in every classroom. To realize the promise of all that technology has to offer, we must listen to feedback from our teachers and make sure that they have the training and support they need to implement this technology effectively” (1). This is one of the first arguments that I have read that states that teachers must have efficient training with these forms of technology before they can successfully adapt them in their curricula. I also felt that this statement by Madan was worded much more efficiently than other authors have tried and it provides a more believable argument: “Bringing technology into the classroom helps them draw these parallels and keeps them interested in what they're learning. It also provides options for students with different learning styles” (1).  One last example that he discusses in this article provides a compelling benefit for teachers who truly want to engage their students in the lessons they are striving to instill within them, “Technology enables biology students to touch, spin and explore the structure of a molecule as they're reading about it in a text, watch a speech by Dr. Martin Luther King as they read about the civil rights era and ask questions of their classmates and complete their homework assignments all in a digital environment. By fostering these connections, technology can enhance and increase students' learning interactions, leading to better performance” (1).  This statement has sparked in me so many new ideas that I can put to actual use in my future classroom with the help of technological integration. Before reading this article, I might never have considered some of the vast amount of possibilities.

iPad: Substitute for Learning?

John Keating, Mr. Miyagi and Mary Poppins: Alan Jacobs, author of the article, “The Charisma ofthe iPad: on Technology in the Classroom” offers the conclusion that perhaps a mixture of these three educators is the best approach to take when trying to capture and maintain students’ interest in the classroom. I have stated my opinion in past blogs regarding the issue Jacobs tackles in this article, stating that I felt as though iPad and technologies of that nature, while perhaps useful in the classroom, should not solely be used to entice children to learn because it might end up having the reverse effect of what you strive to achieve. Jacobs seems to agree with my standpoint on this issue, as he states, “So whether we want to admit it or not, when we educators turn to technology we're hoping not to generate interest in learning but to substitute for it” (1). He brought to my attention a strategy called “Gamification” which I had previously been unaware of. He explains the strategy by stating, “We're saying, instead, Use this technology that's fun and indirectly and unconsciously you'll learn all the stuff we want you to learn.” Is this really the message we want to send to our students though? I believe students are smarter than they are given credit for and might easily deduce that the iPad is just a fancy way of telling them that behind the glitz and glamour of new technology, they will still need to do assignments and learn all the material. Although initially they might be so intrigued by being introduced to this latest form of technology, sooner or later, it might lose its effect to get children to participate in lessons. Our job as educators is to ensure that each student we teach has the opportunity to develop an interest in the lessons and materials that we present to them. If we hide their interest behind the latest form of technology, are we compromising an interest they might otherwise want to nurture? Am I the only future teacher that, like Jacobs, believes that introducing up-to-date technologies like that of the iPad into the classroom might be more of a hassle than its worth? Are there more pros or cons to introducing this form of technology as a substitute for a genuine interest in learning?

Samsung Galaxy Note: False Advertisement

     While watching television, I saw this commercial for the new Samsung Galaxy Note cell phone and was immediately intrigued. The commercial depicts poet and teacher Sarah Kay in a classroom filled with happy students, enthusiastic about learning poetry as they delightfully participate in the assignment by adding notes to the cell phones in different colors, enhancing the poems the class is creating. The first time I witnessed this advertisement, I thought it was definitely something I needed to look into, for I was interested to see if this commercial contained some kind of technology that would be useful in my future English classroom. However, after watching the commercial many more times, I am disheartened to realize that it really is only a gimmick to entice people, especially teachers, to buy the product. The commercial simply shows how students are writing on multiple cell phones in different colors claiming that it is inspiring a new passion within students that can only be accomplished through this new form of technology.
     Firstly, I feel that this is quite unrealistic. Many school districts have a difficult time providing their students with as up-to-date technology, such as computers, as they can, let alone have enough funds to provide each teacher with enough cell phones for each student to use during class. During the commercial Kay states “Any new technology introduces new forms of expression.” To me, this seems like a stretch within the context that she is stating this because I feel the same objective can be achieved by use of paper and different colored markers. There is nothing about this piece of technology that makes it stand out from using simple and much less expensive common classroom supplies. She also states that seeing someone’s handwriting aids in her feeling a connection with that certain student. Handwriting can also spark that same connection when written on a piece of paper. Students’ handwriting will be recognizable no matter what they are writing on or with. I believe that if this commercial convinces anyone that buying this cell phone model to use in the classroom because it inspires students by virtually doing the same thing that a piece of paper and pen can do, they need to get their priorities in order. In no way, shape or form, can this be argued to be useful classroom technology. There are so many more efficient and beneficial forms of technology that will actually provide students with a learning experience that cannot be achieved via paper and pen. Technology in the classroom is definitely important and can provide students with unique learning experiences that will alter their attitude and inspire them to succeed, but teachers do not need to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note to aid in those endeavors.

Integrating Technology Into the Classroom: Challenging but Achievable

     I found this article, "Integrating Technology Into the Classroom: Methods and Means" recently, and I feel that it completely encompasses everything that this course strives to instill within its students. Technology has made significant strides over the years and the possibilities seem endless. Just when we think Apple or another technology brand has outdone itself, we are quickly presented with an even better piece of technology. The same is true within most classrooms nowadays. Technology within the classroom has also come so much farther than anyone could have imagined. The very first paragraph of this article really caught my attention. A “portable classroom” just might be the most advanced technological form of schooling that I have ever heard of. My only concern when first reading this was that I was not exactly sure that this was a viable form of schooling. Further along in the article, however, author, Melissa Kelly, addresses everyone’s concerns about incorporating technology into their curriculum.
     Step by step, this article guides a prospective teacher, in a way, regarding exactly how beneficial technology can be within the classroom. From research, to website creations, to online assessment, this article shines a light on different aspects of curricula that can be enhanced with the incorporation of technology. I especially think that the creation of a website is beneficial to students. As a future English teacher, I have often thought about using this kind of method in my classroom, having the students create a website similarly set up to that of a social networking site such as Facebook or Twitter so as to really put themselves in the shoes of a character from a novel that we studying. I found it also very clever that they provided an example for History teachers, having students write historical letters as if they were historical figures.
     I feel as though the reason this article is not only resourceful but vital is due to the fact that it does not try to sugar coat the fact that while technology is an advancement in the world of education that provides our students with a plethora of opportunities for learning in innovative ways, it is not 100% practical. However, Kelly definitely brings to the forefront suggestions on how to make the incorporation of technology such as the internet work in the classroom. She admittedly states that although it might be a bit of a challenge, it is definitely possible to create an environment conducive to learning within a technologically sound classroom. Kelly states, “Do all of the objections mean that we should not use the internet in the classroom? No. However, we must address these concerns before we fully integrate the internet into the classroom. The effort is definitely worth it because the possibilities are endless!” (2). Kelly definitely succeeded in addressing many of the concerns that I have had regarding the integration of technology within my own classroom. I believe she has not only given me suggestions on how to successfully achieve it, but she has also given a host of answers on how to address the challenges we might face along the way.

Fundraisers to Improve Technology in Westfield High School

     Although this article is a few months old, I found it to be inspiring. To improve technology in the Westfield school district, a raffle was held to help raise funds to improve the technology in Westfield High School. Also, an online survey was conducted so as to determine the need for more up-to-date technology in the classroom. As a result of each of these events, 10 projectors were purchased for the school and installed. Also, it was decided that they would a second raffle and a subsequent fundraiser to help bring more technology into the school, first by way of replacing the computer libraries. The addition of projectors will absolutely benefit both students and teachers alike in the classroom and replacing the library computers to newer models will definitely help the students, especially when they are required to complete assignments and projects online as well as have access to sites for research projects.
     Having up-to-date technology in the classroom is basically vital in today’s society. So often, I believe, we focus on the school’s that are adding iPads and such to their classrooms and often the schools that don’t even have projectors, such as Westfield High School, fall through the cracks. I think it’s important to put schools such as Westfield in the spotlight just as much as we put schools that have all the latest technology in the spotlight. It really is a disappointment that some schools can afford to add the latest technology to their curriculum while others cannot, relying on fundraisers and raffles to acquire even the most basic form of technology for their classrooms. I feel as though all classrooms should have the exact same technologies so that some students aren’t benefitting more than others. I am disheartened that this isn’t exactly a realistic theory, but at least having the most basic forms of technology should be granted to every school. Is there any way to ensure that every school receives technologies for their students? Should it be a requirement for every school to at least have up-to-date computers? How can we fix the problem of some schools receiving a multitude of technologies while other schools cannot afford to do so?

iPads: The New Classroom Laptop Transforming Schools in Elizabeth

     I recently found this article about iPads becoming the forefront of technological advancement in the Elizabeth school district. Allowing students from all areas, whether affluent or underfunded, the opportunity to learn by way of the newest and most advanced piece of technology is what will ultimately aid in transforming the classroom to be a part of the 21^st century. Incorporating technologies such as an iPad will allow students to become accustomed to what will eventually become the most utilized technology. It will also give them a chance to explore new media, to learn and have learning be an enjoyable process as opposed to the tedious process it might currently be for students. I also believe that it is wise for them to have access to certain websites and such that they might not have access to at home without the iPad. Having round the clock access to sites and such used in the classroom to perhaps aid in a research paper or homework assignment, especially for students who do not have access to a computer in their home, is what might make all the difference in certain students’ lives, in turn, perhaps increasing their grades.
     Alberto Marsal, the Coordinator of the Technology Dpeartment at the JEDTA school, claims that the incorporation of iPads into the school’s curriculum will lead to “higher attendance, increased student achievement and a positive attitude for all our students” (1). He also states, “We have already seen increased student engagement as a result of our initial rollout of these iPads” (1). I hate to think so pessimistically, but could the initial increase in attendance be ultimately the result of each student receiving their own iPad? It’s not every day that a school will give each student a brand new form of the latest, most advanced technology that tend to be quite expensive. Perhaps the hype of each student receiving an iPad will boost attendance initially, but I don’t believe it will keep the attendance rates up consistently throughout the school year. While I do believe that incorporating iPads instead of laptops is innovative and revolutionary, sparking in students a new desire to learn, I do not believe that it will be the sole answer to increasing attendance and grades. As I have mentioned in other blog posts, I think it will still be an ongoing challenge to ensure that students are using the iPads for academic purposes only and not finding ways to use them solely for pleasure and personal use. It must be made clear to the students what the objective is behind them receiving this piece of technology. They must be made aware and fully comprehend that the iPads are as important as a textbook in the classroom, and are not there to provide distraction or entertainment from a lesson.

Interactivity #5

Lesson Plan Analysis Map with NETS-S Standards

     The teacher whom I selected to interview regarding the NETS-S Standards is a middle school (grade 8) English teacher in the Old Bridge School District. Her initial reaction to my first introducing her to the standards was surprised and intrigued, as she had very little knowledge of these standards. She found the standards to be motivating, stating that it would be beneficial to incorporate them throughout the school but did not know if it would be wise to do so with their limited, although expanding, means of technology. She stated that perhaps when they are fully equipped with a multitude of academic technological resources, such as more computers and SmartBoards in each classroom, that would be the best time to begin to take the standards into consideration.

     The school has not, as of yet, begun to implement these standards in their classrooms. However, they do seem as though they slowly but surely want to improve the amount of technologies they have in the classrooms and incorporate them into their lesson plans. They have begun to incorporate the use of SmartBoards in each classroom, but they are used upon each teacher’s discretion. She did recognize the fact that some of the teachers want to use the SmartBoards and other forms of technology and have already found that using technology is much more useful and beneficial than when they tried to do without it. Perhaps she did not know about the standards because she is an English teacher and does not find it necessary to incorporate technology into her lesson plans that she has been successfully using for many years.

     I was not surprised at the teacher’s response to the questions. She explained that there are other standards that they know they must follow, but until they receive more means to incorporate technology, the NET-S standards will not be met. She also stated that she does absolutely realize that education is rapidly becoming computerized and technology is taking the spotlight in most classroom settings nowadays. She was not completely averse to considering using more technology, but due to the fact that technology is ever more present in today’s society, many teachers need to be educated on these standards and how influential they can become in the classroom.

     As a future educator, I would definitely speak to other educators in my school about the NETS-S and NETS-T standards. I would make it a point to explain that implementing these standards within the school’s diverse amount of curriculums will only benefit both students and teachers in the long run. Allowing schools to become more technologically sound will help students and teachers alike embrace the 21^st century technologies and use them to their advantage to become scholastically successful. By implementing these standards into each classroom, we, as educators, would only be reinforcing and solidifying different aspects of a curriculum that we might otherwise have been struggling to get students to connect with and understand. As we begin to incorporate these technological standards, we are subject to an array of lesson plans that might otherwise go unnoticed when we do not possess the technological means to include it within our own classrooms.



Expanding Classroom Technology by way of Laptops

West Deptford School Officials Change Strategy in Expanding Technology Education

     Although this article does not have much substance to it, as it only explains how a certain district is preparing for, as they put it, “21^st century learning,” which they define as learning through more technological means than as of late, it provides a thought-provoking argument. Although I believe they have the right intentions of wanting their students to become acclimated with the technological ways of the 21^st century that are quickly taking precedent over previous, non-technological means, I also believe that perhaps they could do a little more research and not be so quick to convert every aspect of their curriculum by way of new up to date technology.

     As I was reading the district’s argument they presented as to what their technological scenario in the schools would include, it sparked in me a concern. Why is it that grades five, eight and nine through twelve are bestowed new technology in the form of up to date laptops while grades six, seven and teachers are stuck using the laptops that they already have, although they claim them to be up to date? Even leaving the teachers out of this argument, what is the logic behind doling out new forms of technology to certain grade levels but not others? I’m genuinely confused as to how they decided that every grade except six and seven would receive the new laptops. Granted, they did not have enough for every grade but I still do not understand their justification of completely skipping over these two grades. Yes, they still have access to laptops, but why introduce an updated form to a younger grade level and then expect them to use an outdated form for the next two years if the laptops are not updated within this time period?
     I understand the district’s want of the teachers and students to become “tech savvy,” however, I wish they had given more of an explanation as to what else they plan on incorporating in the classroom. Yes, it is understandable that standardized tests may be issued online in the future, but how does this justify the use of Twitter in the classroom? It seems as though many schools always throw around the idea of using Twitter in the classroom, but it doesn’t ever seem as though they can support this idea with a logical explanation. I do absolutely believe that allowing students to have access to websites for academic purposes, such as a site like BlackBoard or Edmodo, and teaching them how to properly use them to communicate with teachers and students is beneficial. I also believe that allowing students to use laptops for academic purposes will prove to be beneficial in the classroom as well. However, I have yet to be convinced as to how social networking such as Twitter can be useful in an academic setting. They discuss how technology should be the curriculum as opposed to it being just “an add on” within the curriculum. However, I believe that it still poses challenges to have technology take center stage within the classroom setting. It worries me that having technology become the center of the students’ curriculum, it might prove to be more of a distraction than a useful tool. While incorporating technology into the classroom is important, solely relying on it for each and every lesson plan seems a bit excessive. I think it might teach students to become too dependent on technology if that is all they are expected to know. Yes, we do live in a society where technology takes precedent over many other things, but could it possibly be detrimental? Am I just being old-fashioned and unwilling to accept the fact that our society is ever-changing to adapt to newer forms of technology? Perhaps. But I stand by the fact that teaching students to write with a paper and pen is just as important as learning to type on a keyboard.

Social Media in the Classroom: Advantage or Disadvantage?

Teachers Tweet and Students Skype as Classrooms Go Digital


     While reading this article found in my local newspaper, the Home News Tribune, the first quote that really caught my attention was “Social media is altering the educational landscape.”  A statement like this immediately worries me, for I feel as though social media and the classroom are a lethal combination. From my experience, social media is the escape that students quite often turn to when they want a distraction from their school work. That is why this article intrigued me. I was very curious upon reading the introduction as to how teachers made it possible to incorporate social media networking sites such as Twitter into their curriculum to enhance student participation and interest without it becoming a complete distraction resulting in failure to convey a particular lesson’s themes.
     The article mentions that since most students belong to a social networking site already, they might as well use it to their advantage when dealing with school projects and group collaboration. I was beginning to become slightly convinced that certain social media technologies might be more beneficial than not when I then read that a rule banning cell phone use in school was lifted when teachers found a certain educational need for them in the classroom. Although I found the newest technology called eClicker in which students can text quiz answers to their teachers and receive almost immediate feedback quite interesting, I am still a little leery. The article states, “Any cellphone use as a learning tool must balance functionality with the need to assure that the devices are not used in disruptive ways,” wrote Freehold Regional Schools Superintendent Charles B. Sampson. “Certainly smartphones can be used as a powerful learning tool in the proper context.”  Be that as it may, how is it possible to monitor every student and to be sure that they are using their cell phones for educational matters and not sneaking text messages or deceitfully playing games or browsing the internet or social media networks on their phones? Although we have access to a host of information that might be pertinent to a certain lesson at our fingertips, I don’t believe that means students should be allowed to have access to their cell phones during a lesson.
     I do have to say, however, that other social media type of technologies listed in the article are becoming ever more present in the classroom, especially in higher education. Although my high school tried to incorporate technology into our different curriculums, I never had to rely on technology as much as when I entered college. From the school email, to Blackboard, to Google Docs, I can see how technology is making its way to becoming not only a convenience, but a useful tool in the classroom. However, I am still unsure about how I feel about using social media in the classroom. While I frequently partake in social networking websites, especially to converse with students about group work or forming study groups and things of that nature pertaining to school work, I am not convinced that it will fit in well with classroom curriculum with elementary and middle school students. It might be beneficial in high school, but I feel the only place it might not be detrimental to learning is in the college classroom where students possess a level of maturity where they can separate a distraction from a relevant lesson.

Interactivity #4

Lesson Plan Analysis

     I chose this particular lesson plan because I felt as though it successfully integrated technology into an already existing lesson plan, making it more enjoyable for the students while they learned. The hands-on website truly allows students to visualize compound words coming to life right before their eyes, helping them to understand how certain words come together to create a whole new word. I also found this form of technology to be quite innovative, in that it is applicable and geared towards students around ages 6-8.

     I do not believe there were any gaps between the curriculum goals, teaching strategies and technologies used in this lesson. The only aspect I did feel, however, that needed to be adjusted to avoid any gaps would be the fact that it would benefit the students by giving an introduction to what they would be learning in this lesson as opposed to letting them dive right in and start with the activity on the website.
     This technology is essential in teaching the curriculum goals, in that, it gives the students more of a detailed opportunity to visualize and comprehend compound words and how they are formed rather than just listening to a teacher explain it. While a teacher can use visual aids inside a classroom using a textbook or a bookshelf, this website allows students to be subject to a multitude of other words that cannot so easily be shown in a classroom setting. Using a PowerPoint presentation in the beginning of the lesson to allow the students to first get an idea of common compound words allows them to comprehend what they will be seeing on the website.

Interactivity #3

     At first, I thought that finding a multitude of technologies to use in the English Classroom setting would prove to be a rather difficult task. However, the more I researched, the more enlightened I was upon finding a host of technologies that I was previously never aware of. Interactivity #3 was a collaborative effort that yielded interesting and insightful results. The final product is filled with a variety of different technologies that are extremely useful in an English classroom setting, most of which I had never been privy to. The technologies that each of us introduced to the group each proved to be another technological tool that would aid in students’ learning in our future English classes. The use of Google Documents was really helpful in allowing us to collaborate with each other and I really believe that it can be useful in my future classroom for group assignments. I was first assigned to use Google Documents in high school, and I was not a huge fan of it because I was never taught properly how to use it effectively. However, I do believe now that with proper instruction and guidance it can absolutely be a beneficial tool for future students to utilize in the classroom. The Online Writing Lab will also prove to be very useful for my future English students, in that, it is an aid to help clarify how to properly create citations in a paper that might be generally confusing when first introduced.

     The Discussion Boards and Blogger are of great use to me in the education classes that I am currently enrolled in due to the fact that it allows me to collaborate and keep in contact with other students in my classes with whom I might share similar ideas and thoughts as well as contribute and learn new concepts and ideas. This collaborative effort to find new ways of teaching English in the classroom truly opened my eyes to the vast assortment of technologies that are available that I might have previously overlooked. I tend to forget that technology can be beneficial to the way students learn new materials, not just detrimental by providing distractions and essentially doing the work for them. If we, as future teachers, continue to adapt these uses of technologies that we found in positive ways that really help our students not only learn new materials, but also enjoy what they are doing rather than their work seeming like a chore, then I believe we are doing our job effectively.

Interactivity #2

The Evolution of Books:

From containing a table of contents to becoming a table of contents.

Source: Google Images - books and technology

Interactivity #1

     The three most influential communications technologies in my life are my cell phone, social networking and my iPod. Having viewed both of the videos, I can definitely relate to the students who discussed not only how reliant they are on technology, but also how much of an impact it has had in their lives.

     I am attached to my cell phone, as I always have it with me, and I honestly don’t know what I would do without it. I rely on it very heavily and send too many text messages to count. Cell phones have made communication so much more convenient, and I cannot even recall how we survived as long as we did without text messaging, let alone without cell phones whose only function was to make phone calls. In today’s society it is especially easier to become attached to a cell phone due to the latest models that have been released that can give us access to relatively anything we wish to know faster than we ever could have imagined. Between internet access and never-ending apps, we can become lost in the world of our cell phones, so much so that communication has become much more impersonal, and we find ourselves lacking the skills to hold conversations in person. However, the information that I can access on my phone, as well as all of the aspects of it that I can incorporate into my daily life to make things easier and more organized, truly make having this piece of technology very worthwhile.

     Social networking is also a very big part of my life. Facebook and Twitter are the two sites that I am a very frequent user of, and I cannot imagine life without them. Facebook is a great way to keep in touch and reconnect with family and friends that I otherwise might not be able to. Twitter, as well as Facebook, provides me with endless amounts and vast arrays of information that might otherwise go unknown. I don’t think I would know half as much of the information that I do (whether important news or something trivial) had I not made either of these accounts. I thoroughly enjoy being able to utilize all of the options that Facebook and Twitter offer and cannot go a day without viewing both sites multiple times.

     My iPod is also very influential in my life, in that, it provides me with all of the music I enjoy that I can have access to no matter where I am or what I’m doing. The music that can be found on my iPod expresses who I am and what I love. All of the songs have some kind of meaning to me and each evokes a thought or a memory that might otherwise be subdued in my unconscious. The selection of music available at my fingertips provides me with inspiration and allows me to create new ideas for dances when I choreograph musicals and overall, provides me with a renewed sense of emphasis for my passions.

     Having viewed the video “Olivia’s Story,” not only can I relate to her constant use of technology, but I can only imagine how much my future students can relate to her story as well. I feel as though we sometimes take for granted just how much influence technology has in our everyday lives. As a society, we become so attached to these forms of technology that we can seldom imagine how different life would be without them. This factor plays a crucial role in the lives of students today, and it is vital for teachers to be aware of exactly how much technology students are accustomed to using in their daily lives. As a teacher, I feel it is important to take from Olivia’s story the fact that she, as well as her fellow classmates, feel very comfortable with completing assignments and projects online, as they are most likely very familiar with the computerized world. It is important for teachers to realize that their students are surrounded by so much technology that it is both helpful and harmful. Technology is useful, in that it allows for more convenient ways of distributing assignments and in some aspects allows for more creativity with the vast amount of options available at one’s fingertips. However, technology can also be detrimental, in that online social networking sites and text messages, while convenient and entertaining, can become a severe distraction that has the utmost potential in taking precedent over more important tasks such as homework assignments and projects. And although these distractions are always present, it will still be quite beneficial to utilize different forms of technology in the classroom.

     Having also viewed the second video, the widespread use of different forms of technologies was also quite apparent.  I can definitely relate to the students who stated that they relied on their cell phones and laptops, being essentially lost without them. The second video was filled with students who discussed their own technological passions, but the one student who stuck out to me the most was the girl who stated that she does not like the use of abbreviations such as “lol” and “omg” or the ever popular “u” as a substitute for “you.” I feel that these abbreviations attribute to students’ laziness and lack of understanding words in their unabbreviated forms. I feel that the students featured in this video accurately represent students that I will be teaching in the future, and I believe that if I can incorporate technology in innovative ways in the classroom that will help aid in my students’ understanding of certain materials, I will absolutely do so, as I feel that the students will repsond more enthusiastically when applying lessons to forms of technology with which they are familiar. However, I do believe that not all emphasis should be placed on technology, so as to encourage students to work on their own without immediately relying on high-speed technology that virtually does the work for you. Although extremely helpful and beneficial, we must also be conscious of the adverse effects of technologies as well.