10-1 Reflection

Before this class, I admit to being disappointed with every technology training I had attended. I have always been a technology addict - loving it as it was being developed. I was fixing our home computer in high school, built my first in college, and then got to my first classroom where there was no technology just an overhead projector older than I was! As soon as I was able I started gathering technology to use in my room. By being on top of technology in my personal life, I was also ahead of it in the classroom. My first few years we had to attend trainings on how to use Powerpoint, projectors, and basic uses of computers. The earlier classes in my major were great for learning different tools available to teachers but I still wasn't learning anything new or thinking about technology in a different way.



However, this class has really taught me about being a technology integrator. Instead of the entire focus being about the tools in the classroom, we moved onto how we can work with others to improve their technology usage. We focused on behind the scenes - the costs, how to get and implement technology, how to think about trainings and teachers need. This was a different aspect that I had never really focused on before. I enjoyed the challenge of figuring out the best technology set ups and analyzing the pros and cons of them. I plan to bring the idea of Chromebooks to my administration since they have so many positives for such a low cost! This class has also motivated me to reach out to staff to help with technology issues since we don't have a technology integrator.


It is important to continue to work on our technology integration craft because technology will forever be changing (SNHU, 2014). As future technology specialists we need to make sure we are staying on top of new developments and different approaches to using the existing technology. We also need to work on our craft because all teachers will come with different amounts of experience and comfort levels. The teachers will need different amounts and types of support for them to be successful.



References:


SNHU. (2014). EDU 641 Module Ten Overview – Perfecting the Craft. Retrieved from https://bb.snhu.edu/bbcswebdav/pid-4766961-dt-content-rid-9925264_1/courses/EDU-641-15TW2-MASTER/EDU-641-14TW4-MASTER/edu_641_module10_overview.pdf

7-2: BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)

• What is BYOD?

BYOD stands for "Bring Your Own Device". It is a policy that some school have adopted allowing students to bring in their own wireless devices to use in the classroom. Some popular devices are laptops, tablets, iPods, and smartphones.

• What age group of students would this be appropriate for?

I believe that BYOD can be adapted to any age level with careful consideration of what types of technology students will be bringing and what activities you want them to do with the technology. Having third graders create spreadsheets on Google Sheets wouldn't be realistic, but having them use Google search or maps would be something they could easily manage!

• What type of infrastructure must be in place for this to work?

For BYOD to work you need to think about the hardware and software infrastructures at the school. For hardware, schools need to consider what their networks limits are, if they have enough wireless access points for everyone, and how they want to arrange their networks (K-12 Blueprint, 2014). Schools may want to consider having a couple networks - one decided to student use and one for teacher use only, so confidential data is not available to the students (K-12 Blueprint, 2014). Schools also need to consider how they will keep their networks protected from viruses and malware and what (if anything) they want to use to monitor student usage of the internet (K-12 Blueprint, 2014). When it comes to software, the school needs to make sure that they are primarily using web based products, so they do not need to worry about students installing programs on their device and may want to consider cloud based storage, so students can access the information from any device (in case they forget their own!) (K-12 Blueprint, 2014).

• What types of devices can be brought into school?

Any device that is able to connect to wireless could be used. Ideally, you would want devices that are either not connected to a mobile network or can turn that off for class time so students are not getting tempted to text or talk instead of learn. Depending on the activity planned, some devices would not be very helpful. If you were planning to have students do research, any device that can connect to the internet and search would be fine. However, if you wanted students to take pictures or make a video for a project, they would need a device that has a camera and the ability to record. I would argue that the device needs to match the usage and students need to know what they task is so they can either bring in an appropriate device or borrow one from the school.

• What happens if there are violations and abuse of the technology?

Students should be made fully aware of the consequences of violating school policies. Depending on how the student violated expectations some possible consequences could be banning their device from the classroom for a few days, turning off wireless access, using filtering programs to limit certain types of access, or attending digital etiquette classes (Fang, 2009). 

• What types of expectations or policies are in place?

One suggestion is that the school creates an acceptable use policy and contract that students sign before they can bring they can connect their device to the school network (Chadband, 2012). Contracts should clearly state what devices can be brought into the school, as well as how they are to be used. Any policies developed by the staff should be on the contract and it should be available to students at all times. Policies that appear on it should focus on how the devices are to be used like devices should be used for school work and not checking social media, used during appropriate lessons vs all the time, or even what applications are and aren't acceptable. 

• Who will train students, staff, and parents on responsible use and policy?

The district's technology director should train the staff on how to use the network safely and responsibly, as well as how to do some minor troubleshooting techniques (Chadband, 2012). The staff should then take their knowledge and involve the community in sessions about responsible use of the internet and how long information really hangs around on the internet. Teachers should also have these discussions with students often. Responsible use is not something that can be learned in a one time lecture session. It is something that grows and evolves with the technology!

References:

Chadband, E. (July 19, 2012). Should schools embrace "bring your own device"? Retrieved from http://neatoday.org/2012/07/19/should-schools-embrace-bring-your-own-device/

Fang, B. (2009). From distraction to engagement: wireless devices in the classroom. Retrieved from http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/distraction-engagement-wireless-devices-classroom

K-12 Blueprint. (2014). BYOD planning and implementation framework. Retrieved from http://www.k12blueprint.com/sites/default/files/BYOD-Planning-Implementation.pdf

6-2: Technology Reflection

In my five years of teaching, I have actually had the chance to experience many of the different technology configurations that we were analyzing this week! My current set up is one laptop with projector and smartboard in my classroom. However, I managed to get a grant funded for four Samsung tablets this year, so my classroom is currently edging toward the ten computer classroom. Our school also has one COW (computers on wheels) available per floor, but they are rather old and barely function at this point. (They are also taken for NWEA testing three times a year.) 

Configurations:
Mac Mini with projector
Pros:

• It is very easy to show lessons to whole class with the projector and have everyone on the same page. Videos, Prezis, Powerpoints, websites, and more can be viewed whole class.
• In Bloom's taxonomy, this set up would be best used for remembering, understanding, and maybe applying (Dunn, 2013). Some activities it could be used for are presenting, searching, word processing and more. 

Cons:

• The teacher may unintentionally take total control of the computer since there is only one in the room and not realize that they are not giving students the opportunity to use it. Teachers need to be aware of who is manipulating the technology and in control of it.
• The teacher may feel that since there is only one computer there is no way for everyone to fairly use it. To avoid this, the teacher should use more group or partner projects to have more students using the computer.
• The teacher may be worried that there are too many confidential documents on the computer. To avoid student access, the teacher should create (or have someone help them create) two user profiles - one for the teacher and one for students.

10 iMacs in the classroom
Pros:

• This amount covers about half of the classroom, so it will be much quicker to rotate students through the computers if they are used as a station during reading or math workshop. Alternatively, all students could use them at the same time, if they are paired or grouped up.
• With this many computers stored in the classroom, it would be easy to use them to differentiate instruction throughout the day without interrupting the class to move to a new area or set up computers from a COW station.
• In Bloom's taxonomy, this set up would be great for applying, and analyzing. Some activities students could do include creating a video or presentation, making spreadsheets or diagrams, and more (Dunn, 2013).

Cons:

• Not enough computers for every student to have their own at the same time.

25 Chromebooks on traveling cart
Pros:

• Every student can use a laptop at the same time and direct their own learning.
• In Bloom's taxonomy, this set up would be great for applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Students can make presentations, spreadsheets, diagrams, surveys, videos, songs, and much more (Dunn, 2013).

Cons:

• The cart would need to be share among many teachers and signed out for use, which means it would not always be available when you want it to be. This also means you may not be able to grab a laptop at a teachable moment. Teachers may need to split the cart if they both need to use laptops at the same time.
• The traveling cart would require some set up time to get the cart, distribute laptops, and log everyone on. In an already rushed day, this can be frustrating to teachers and may make some teachers rethink using it.

Computer lab with 30 iMacs
Pros:

• The lab is already set up and ready to go so it would not require any set up time that could take away from lessons.
• There are enough computers for every student to use their own and direct their own learning.

• In Bloom's taxonomy, this set up would be great for applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Students can make presentations, spreadsheets, diagrams, surveys, videos, songs, and much more (Dunn, 2013).

Cons:

• The lab would be shared by the whole school so teachers would need to sign up and take turns using it. It may not always be available when teachers want it to be.
• The computers have to stay here, so if a student does not finish the task during the time provided they cannot work on it during free time in the classroom.

BYOD
Pros:

• Students will (hopefully) be using a familiar device that they feel comfortable on.
• In Bloom's taxonomy, this set up would be best for remembering, understanding, and applying because not all devices will be able to create higher level thinking projects (Dunn, 2013).

Cons:

• Students may forget their device or may not have a device (since we are a very low income area). This means they would need to find someone to share with or miss out on important parts of the lesson.
• The teacher may not be familiar with all the devices so they many not be able to assist if there are issues.

The budgeting part of the project was really interesting because I've never really stopped to consider the amount of money needed to invest in technology. I am also a big budgeter, so I am always trying to find the best deal. This made going with iMacs very difficult for me because I knew that we could get PCs much cheaper. When looking at the various options, I feel like Chromebooks may be a great place for a district to start gathering more technology because they are a great product for a great price.

References:
Dunn, J. (2013). Integrate iPads into bloom's digital taxonomy with this 'padagogy wheel'. Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/integrate-ipads-into-blooms-digital-taxonomy-with-this-padagogy-wheel/