Room Arrangement 1 and 2

The first room arrangement fits the first good key classroom arrangement tip because it allows the students to have constant access to the wall where the teacher projects his computer screen and uses the projector as his own blackboard. This classroom arrangement works well because it allows for people to walk around and get to the teachers desk easily. It also does allow for space in the front of the room but it limits the amount of space between the rows and the back of the room is very tight and hard to maneuver through. Students are able to easily see the teacher when he stands in the front of the room but when he is standing in the back of the room using his laptop to project they are unable to see him. This may be a negative thing but it may not. It allows the students to stay focused on what is being shown to them but they can’t see the actual instructor without having to turn around. This classroom arrangement allows for storage of additional materials that student would need to use but they are stored in a closet out of the way and not causing a lot of clutter to the classroom. Also, additional resources are on the front table and that is a cluttered area but mostly used just to store students work and projects. As with the first and second tips this one too allows for students to be able to get a good view of presentations because all the students are facing the front of the room and it would be obvious for the teacher to be able to determine if the students in the audience were not focused on the presentation. Overall, this classroom arrangement seems very proficient and reasonable. 

This alternative classroom arrangement partly agrees with the teaching style of the classroom teacher but it also does not work well. It works well with group activities and allows students to see each other and in that class their is a lot of interaction between the peers, however it does not allow the student in some areas (like the row of desks facing in the circle) to see the projector. This room arrangement does allow for students to move around easily for the most part, the only difficulty is the area between the student desk and the storage. That area does not leave much room to walk behind those students without tripping over their bags or belongings and there isn't any room next to their chairs to put their stuff. Teacher is easily accessible and seen from almost all the students except those in the middle (and maybe a few of them near the teachers desk) because it has those students with their backs away from him or the students in the middle facing the front of the classroom. This structure is the same as the first one in terms of storage and it works well for the classroom because all the materials are out of the way and not adding any more clutter to the classroom. It works well for presentations for all the students except the row of desks that are facing in towards the middle of the classroom because they can't even see the wall where the screen is being projected. 

Maine Memory Network

   I would use the Maine Memory Network in my classroom to help students get a better location or historical aspect of maybe a character's placement. I could even have my students working on a project relevant to their location or their current residency and have it be a tool or activity that prompts later feedback on the students surroundings. I may be able to use the historical aspect of Maine in some way to connect it to a metaphorical situation where students use it to reflect on how the history influences who they are and the choices they make. Maine Memory Network would be a good resource to allow my students to see what other schools in Maine are doing. I can also teach my students to use it as a resource to share what we are doing as a school and focus on getting their idea's out their. In this particular instance I could focus on professional writing and the importance of correct grammar and sentence structure if others will be reading my students work.

My Contributions to the WebQuest Wikis

Introduction- Judgement  

Take Me On Vacation 

In this WebQuest students will have to chose a location for their family vacation, either New York City, NY, San Diego, CA or Orlando, FL based on parameters such as cost for airfare, hotels, car rentals, etc. They have to do research to come up with the cheapest means of travel. This is a great example of judgment because it allows the students to act as if they are responsible for planning their own trip and have serious real life situations to consider.

WebQuest Components- Conclusion 

A Seperate Peace: A Teenager Experiences World War II This WebQuest was an example of a good conclusion because it briefly explained what the students had to do and praises them for their accomplishments without being too preachy.

Intro analytical 

8. Frankenstein 2018  

This WebQuest is analytical because it discusses Mary Shelley's images of the monster and the     creator and the essential aspects of the pictures that illustrate that. It asks the student to think on a deeper level and it doesn't include any part of the task (so it doesn't spoil what is expected of        them.) The intro is all about analyzing Shelley's characters.

"How to help someone use a computer"

    I really learned how important it is for computer experts and really any expert in a field to be patience, calm and sensitive to new learners because it will help them relate to the learner more and the learner may open up more and explain the difficulties they are having rather then just "shut down."


"Beginners face a language problem: they can't ask questions because they don't know what the words mean, they can't know what the words mean until they can successfully use the system, and they can't successfully use the system because they can't ask questions" (http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html)

This quote really jumped out at me because it's true, it's really hard to explain what's wrong with the technology if you don't know what any of the terminology means. It's really frustrating for the user and the expert, plus it causes a lot of discouragement.

   An important rule to follow that I connected with the most was the one where it said "show me how you did that." I was like wow that's me! I like to show people what I did because as I mentioned my lack of understanding of the machinery limits my explanation. However, in the past most people are like "ok mmhmm alright" and then take over and try and fix it. They never show me HOW or what their doing and it's annoying because I would've liked to show them what I did just in case I missed a crucial point. It was really helpful to know that I wasn't the only one who felt that way.

   I really feel like this comes in handy when thinking about how I will be teaching the class about "our" technology because I will know to go slow and not to just speak in acronyms but rather to explain the terminology that I may be using and to be very patient with people's various levels of understanding. Reflecting back on how I learn before doing this project seems like the most helpful thing a teacher could do because it will really help the students produce a better presentation.

How to help someone use a computer
(http://polaris.gseis.ucla.edu/pagre/how-to-help.html)

"Copyright and Fair Use"

   In the article "The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use" they describe how the idea of fair use is to protect "intellectual property" (http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674). They also discuss that it is not that they prohibit teacher's from using resources available to them, in fact it's just that it's important that the teacher's set a good example for the students in giving credit where credit is due.

Question number five in regards to the teacher making copies of the software because there are more students and computers than there is software was a question that really shocked me when I got it wrong. To me I guess I don't know that much about the copyrighting "rules" but if the teacher is just burning the CD to get additional copies it just seems weird that that isn't legal or that that doesn't fall under the copyright rules. The biggest reason this seems so strange or absurd to me is that I don't see any difference between making copies of the disk and making photocopies out of a textbook for students; there still isn't enough material and it's the same thing. Again, it's frustrating for me to put too much input in because I don't much about the rules so it's really hard for me to say that's right or that's wrong(http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674).

Question ten about the teacher finding clip art and music and sharing it with other teachers I really thought would be true because it says it was "file-sharing" so it seems like if it says that then it would be acceptable to share with other teachers. It seems as if it's those things that are the logistical things that I really don't understand and I wouldn't want to make a fuss if I was ultimately wrong and just didn't have enough knowledge about it (http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674).

Question fourteen was really baffling. This was the one where the PTA bought the Disney movie and was just trying to show it to younger kids and it's not accepted under the "Fair Use laws." This was frustrating because in this example I didn't see any difference between what they were doing and what a group of friends who are hanging out and someone brings over a movie is doing. It's the same concept and people don't pay companies to play movies at friends houses' so I don't see the difference at all (http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674).

Number sixteen, where the teacher allows his/her students to use this machine that she bought that "defeats the copy protection" so that her students can use parts of rented movies seems like this should absolutely be unacceptable but this is acceptable and other examples aren't. This seems ridiculous. This doesn't seem like it should be right. It really made me think about how the logic of the Fair Use rules doesn't seem to be accurate (http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674).

Number nineteen about using music in the yearbook surprised me too! I even got this answer correct in the quiz and so far I have only commented on one's that I didn't get correct but this one's explanation said that it wasn't acceptable "because they don't have the permission to use the whole song"
(http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674). Well I would say that if they are using any part of the song and not given permission or not "citing" it then it doesn't fall under the guidelines. It's examples like these that don't make sense because it's like it's acceptable if it's a certain length but if it's over that it's not. That makes it more complicated. It seems as if it's going to be unacceptable then make it unacceptable don't make it more difficult and put time limits that sets it apart from being acceptable to not acceptable.

Number twenty yet again seemed like it didn't make sense to me, but I will reiterate the point I tried to make in the beginning of this blog which is that maybe I just don't understand the rules well enough to make comments. This one was about the science fair and how making copies would only be acceptable if it were being used for educational purposes. What I don't understand is why it isn't acceptable to sell. First off to me, it is just like selling a yearbook to family members, it's the same thing, and they even had permission! It also was under the "fair use guidelines" but yet it's not acceptable. It again goes back to what I said before it seems like it's the nit picky stuff that is what gets people. Another thing, if it was being sold to let's say parents for instance, I don't see how that is not being used as an educational purpose. They can show it future children to help them with project idea's, teachers could buy one and keep it on hand for future students etc. Plus, parents already saw it and it was considered an "educational night" so I don't see why buying the dvd wouldn't be considered educational, it's not like it's a dvd of a talent show, it's a science fair.


I guess the biggest thing I realized is as a future teacher who will be teaching in the 21st century I really need to get caught up on all the "rules" and "guidelines" so I know what to be cautious about.


From "The Educator's Guide to Copyright and Fair Use."
http://www.techlearning.com/article/17674

"Web 2.0 Educator"

  I picked Cool Cat Teacher Vicki Davis to blog about. Her specialty is teaching and she seems very devoted to it. She seems very well informed on various aspects of technology and she seems to know how to explain to her students how to use these technology devices and why! That is the biggest thing. She makes the students understand why she does what she does. She has such a unique perspective on life and teaching. She definitely seems to have a positive attitude toward technology in the classroom and sees it as being helpful and teaching the students about the real world. I would have to say that I partly agree with her on things that she discusses and yet there are aspects of her blogs I am not totally in agreement with. I do believe that it is important for students to know how to do more things than just prepare for a test, and I do believe that technology is a very helpful and useful resource in the classroom. However, her approach to being so open to change and her willingness toward technology is definitely not the way I feel. I do not feel that classrooms should be completely taken over by all of this technological advanced equipment such as the "Flat classroom boards." These board act as boards as well as desks. I feel like these types of devices are what cause our students to be too focused on technology and not what the lessons in school are. Mrs. Davis seems to have an optimistic view on technology and how helpful it is, but it does not seem to me as if students in today's world are learning as much as they did before and I really feel that it is because of all the distractions they have available to them (i.e. cell phones, computers, etc.) I am not saying technology is not important but sometimes I feel as if it is a reason for students to not have to know so much or retain so much information because they have access to information at their fingertips.

      Her approach to teaching though seems very thought out and effective. She mentioned somewhere in her blog that she has this rule about asking two students before they ask her a question. When reading this I thought this was a very unique way of having students become comfortable working together and learning things on their own without running to her with every single question. This is an approach that as a student I may have found frustrating and harsh because I figured no one else knew better than the teacher, but now as a future teacher I can see why teachers do this and I can understand the importance of it. Mrs. Vicki Davis seemed very educated on technology and open to new ways of teaching her students as the future changes the dynamic of the world and flexibility definitely seems to be an admirable quality in teachers these days. She definitely seemed to be a teacher who was able to connect with the demands of the profession as well as encourage her students to work independently and this is a very important element of teaching.

(Information gathered from Cool Cat Teacher Vicki blog)

"Type I and Type II Technology"

Type I is just a way of using technology to do and teach exactly the way they had before technology played such a significant role in our society.

    One example of Type I applications of technology are iphones or ipads. These allow students to have access to the Internet where as before the technology era many students just went to the encyclopedias and were able to gather the same information that they can now with the "quick" access to the Internet. A second example of this would be a projector. This takes place of the blackboard or "white board." The projector's purpose is the same as the blackboard to show information but the projector allows the students to navigate and follow along with the teacher as they are displaying their information. Lastly, the third way this technology exemplifies Type I is through new things such as using the kindle an electronic device that allows people to purchase books online and view them on the kindle. Without this piece of technology education could still continue on just as it always has with using originally printed textbooks, but the kindle just allows technology to play a role in our fast pace society and makes it more convenient for students, especially at the high school and college level.

Type II is using technology that will help teachers try new aspects of teaching and take a different approach to teaching using more modern devices.

     One example of Type II applications of technology are smart boards, because they allow for more efficient ways to teach a classroom and allows both teachers and students to be interactive with the technology on a whole new level, because it's more personal than just pressing buttons; they can actually write with the tip of their fingers. A second example I would have to say would be one I was just introduced to a few days ago when I began practicum's technology class and that would be the tool Comic Life because it allows students to incorporate more creative ways of presenting their knowledge. A third example of this would be power point because it has made teachers lives so much more efficient now that they can put all their information on slides and they can even post it for students to go back and reference later.

From Internet Application of Type II uses of Technology in Education (Cleborne D. Maddux and D. LaMont Johnson, 2005).