edblogpt2

//Choose blogs that relate to your current teaching position, professional level or interest(s). Likewise, this portion will be worth 35 points. This assignment will ask you to search for and choose two blogs that represent education / a classroom or content specific per your profession; one that works and one that needs work. Once chosen, you will analyze why the blog works and discuss why another needs work. // //Progress 12:24 Oct. 14th// I have not been at all much engaged in any blogs to date, however reading and researching these blogs has let me to investigate this a bit further.

Computer Science - Programming http://lambda-the-ultimate.org/ http://mybiasedcoin.blogspot.com/

Works -

Needs work -

Think of this article in terms of a deeper reflection than criticism or scare tactics. Think of the article in discussing technology and technologies as fundamentally reshaping any learning environment. Realizing interpretation is a huge implication, think about how you engage and respond with the reading, considering the issues of today’s education; not as a personal attack against teaching and teachers or education. Keep in mind that the article is an opinion and incites to thinking. I would first start off with the very intro of the article this being the quote guaranteeing of employment by passing classes seems a bit far stretched. One could indeed argue this all day in the current economic state even if it were to recover 100%. I have found many people with degrees online and from the traditional in the classroom setting still without jobs in their chosen field of work. The new role for teachers I would have to agree with in this article though it also depends on "in my option" what parents want this type of education for their children. An interesting news cast on CNN that I just saw the other day (has no bearing on my perspective) the link at YouTube: (I was unable to embed this on the page with the tools in this editor (Add Flash/Shockwave content) from YouTube, anyone know on this? (Thanks!) The direct link is:  http://youtu.be/fUxLKik3zNA  I still do think at this point there should be a balance in tech and classroom setting. Will the children with laptops and internet access be smarter, brighter, and faster at solving issues? My personal thought is that we are still in an infancy state for having the K-12 classes purely online, but this is only something as technology and education moves forward, time will tell.  Why is technology (in terms of learning and its use in an educational setting as well as how schools and teachers respond to the resources brought about by technology) something that as an “educator” you should be "concerned" about? Concern is not necessarily defined in negativity. Concern can imply action or readiness. My concern is based on my own experience of previous online classes I have taken. I in years past took a programming class online verses in the traditional classroom setting, I found very quickly that some classes work online as some are just too involved to be online "in some cases". At this time I did not know much at all about programming it was my second programming class to say much closer to just starting off. I had so many questions every day, I found myself in instances waiting for hours to a full day for an answer (sometimes this didn't help with the issue) verses this could have been resolved with the raise of a hand in class. Needless to say to make a very long story short I took the remaining classes in the traditional classroom setting. This was for my associates degree, now as I did indeed learn and gain knowledge of problem solving techniques, syntax, and much more; I in my bachelor’s degree was able to take a few programming classes online with success. My concern still would be the online cheat, as I mentioned in the above quote, "guaranteeing of employment by passing classes" There currently are techniques and programs "my option" a deterrence for cheaters in most cases than catching them. The reason I say this as certain classes have a relative per say reinventing the wheel at first. For example in C++ programming I could find an "Intro to C++ class" hello world program on an endless number of websites using namespace std; int main { cout << "hello world" << endl;
 * 1) include

return 0; }

Now this also in my option might be an issue with something like mathematics, and other areas. I have written a few papers on this topic in the last 4 years as this was one of my concerns. As with anything I think closely monitoring is key to most anything... What technology is out there that can and should advance education into the 21stcentury? Please explain/identify in some detail, not just stating or listing tools, resources, strategies or methods. At the current date there is so much technology out there. Through this degree have already learned of many new programs and technology that I never knew existed for educational purposes. Currently Blackboard type software in my book is very adequate in producing results for online classes. Integration of webcam options, voice and live teaching through such programs as blackboard I see advancing or already being integrated into these systems. I think in some cases as I mentioned above classes that normally may not work in a blackboard environment, may in turn work better with a live webcam or newer such technology's. This being implemented in such a way as a once a week or normal collage level class times. Research methods are one technology that should advance education, instant results to anything is one technology that should expand any number of possibilities for a student. Who has technology, who hasn't, and how can you make a difference? This is a tough one to answer: I know that allot of schools have integrated technology into their classrooms, I have a 6 year old nephew who's classroom has a few computers and a digital whiteboard for animations, etc. Example what they did the other day I heard was, watch a apple seed grow into a full tree, in turn apples then grew on the tree, from there each student counted the apples from there they added the apples and requested a field trip to the local market to then sell the apples (virtual apples)... So all of this combined gave the students education in various things such as planting, photosynthesis, counting, economics, profit and so forth. Granted this was a first grade class some of the terms may have been over their heads in a way, but the fundamentals of planting one seed all the way to selling them at the local market as a 2-3 day class would not have been possible without this technology. How long would the students have had to wait to see the tree grow (etc., etc.)...? I argue that it could have been done without the technology, but would it have been as effective? I can make a difference by learning to utilize these technologies so they may be used for education in an effective and productive fashion.