Using Personal Learning Networks (PLNs) has been a great benefit to me in my student teaching experience so far. I see the value of it in education, especially for staying current with other teachers in my field as new technology comes out, or to get ideas for a lesson I am planning. I think PLNs are especially resourceful for Business Education teachers, because technology and what we have to teach is constantly changing. There is no way we could keep up with everything that changes day to day, so using a PLN is what can help keep us updated and current with all of the changes that take place so frequently.
Sharing Resources
Using a personal learning network is a great way to share resources with other teachers in your field. So many times I find myself "drawing a blank" when it comes to creating an exciting intro to a lesson or finding a way to make a certain topic "stick" with the students. And when I get those mind blocks, I always go to the PLNs to find resources to help me get back on track and create a great lesson for the students.
Staying Informed & Current
With so many changes in the business ed. curriculum and technology, using a PLN is vital to stay informed on those changes and staying current with technology. I read many blogs in the technology field, and have joined groups in Diigo to stay current with technology. Without using PLNs, it would be much harder to keep up with all of the changes that happen.
Staying Connected
Using a PLN is a great way to stay connected to other teachers all over the country. As we saw when we presented the webinar, there were teachers from all over the country in the webinar. What an easy way to stay connected with other Business Education teachers! Instead of having to fly across the country to share and present ideas and resources, we got to choose where we wanted to be during the webinar, and still were able to share valuable resources and ideas with one another.
The PLNs that I am enjoying the most currently is using Blogger and Diigo. I will continue to use these PLNs and others when I go into the teaching world after student teaching.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Should Cell Phones Be Used In Learning?
With technology being integrated into our lives in everything we do, the new question in education is, “Should cell phones be used in learning?” My position is No. I think using cell phones in the classroom are more of a distraction than an educational tool. Even if a lesson is planned integrating a cell phone into the lesson, students would get off task and the cell phones would create more of a detriment to the classroom than a benefit. There are many tools that you can use to integrate technology into the classroom that are available to teachers, I don’t think a cell phone should be one of them.
The three main reasons why I think cell phones should not be used in the classroom are:
• Text Messaging: Sending friends text messages during class time, including sending or receiving test answers/cheating. Cell phones in the classroom could create more cheating on tests and/or cheating between friends. It can also be just a plain distraction between students texting eachother. Imagine how hard it is to keep a student's attention without their cell phone in front of them!
• Privacy Issues & Inappropriate Use of Cell Phone: Taking and distributing inappropriate digital photos of students and/or teachers, video recordings. I would feel very uncomfortable knowing that a student in my classroom had the ability to take a picture or video of me. What if a student recorded a video of another student? The school is responsible for that. Every year, parents have to sign a media release form and choose whether they want their child to be photographed or used in any media in the school. Many parents sign the form, but what about the parents who do not want their child exposed in any way?
• Bullying or harassment via unwanted text messaging. Students would be more capable of finding another student's cell phone number and bullying them if they wanted too. It allows for more negative communication in the classroom, and once again, another potential legal problem for the school.
Using cell phones in class could create a major legal problem. What if you are having the students use their cell phone for a lesson in class and then something happens in the classroom that is illegal? For example, harassing through text message, taking pictures of someone in the classroom, etc. Whose responsibility would that be if something like this were to happen? Afterall, the teacher warranted the use of the cell phone in the first place. I do not want that weight on my shoulders in the classroom. I think there are other ways of integrating technology into the classroom besides using a cell phone. It is impossible to police every cell phone at all times. That puts a big burden and responsibility onto the teacher, and I don’t think it’s worth that much in terms of educational substance to bear that potential problem as a teacher.
An article on How to use cell phones in the classroom listed some educational uses such as: Using Digital cameras, dictionaries, internet access, and calculators. I don’t see those uses so different than using a computer, or at the very worst, using the old fashioned dictionary book or actual calculator?
And, for Business teachers who do have computers in their classroom, there is no need for a cell phone. Everything a cell phone could do, a computer can do better!
Sources
http://www.helium.com/items/1458174-cell-phones-mobile-phone-classroom-ban-affects-on-learning-learning-teaching
http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/2008/09/new-statistics-on-teen-cell-phone-use.html
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/cell_phone_learning/?page=2
The three main reasons why I think cell phones should not be used in the classroom are:
• Text Messaging: Sending friends text messages during class time, including sending or receiving test answers/cheating. Cell phones in the classroom could create more cheating on tests and/or cheating between friends. It can also be just a plain distraction between students texting eachother. Imagine how hard it is to keep a student's attention without their cell phone in front of them!
• Privacy Issues & Inappropriate Use of Cell Phone: Taking and distributing inappropriate digital photos of students and/or teachers, video recordings. I would feel very uncomfortable knowing that a student in my classroom had the ability to take a picture or video of me. What if a student recorded a video of another student? The school is responsible for that. Every year, parents have to sign a media release form and choose whether they want their child to be photographed or used in any media in the school. Many parents sign the form, but what about the parents who do not want their child exposed in any way?
• Bullying or harassment via unwanted text messaging. Students would be more capable of finding another student's cell phone number and bullying them if they wanted too. It allows for more negative communication in the classroom, and once again, another potential legal problem for the school.
Using cell phones in class could create a major legal problem. What if you are having the students use their cell phone for a lesson in class and then something happens in the classroom that is illegal? For example, harassing through text message, taking pictures of someone in the classroom, etc. Whose responsibility would that be if something like this were to happen? Afterall, the teacher warranted the use of the cell phone in the first place. I do not want that weight on my shoulders in the classroom. I think there are other ways of integrating technology into the classroom besides using a cell phone. It is impossible to police every cell phone at all times. That puts a big burden and responsibility onto the teacher, and I don’t think it’s worth that much in terms of educational substance to bear that potential problem as a teacher.
An article on How to use cell phones in the classroom listed some educational uses such as: Using Digital cameras, dictionaries, internet access, and calculators. I don’t see those uses so different than using a computer, or at the very worst, using the old fashioned dictionary book or actual calculator?
And, for Business teachers who do have computers in their classroom, there is no need for a cell phone. Everything a cell phone could do, a computer can do better!
Sources
http://www.helium.com/items/1458174-cell-phones-mobile-phone-classroom-ban-affects-on-learning-learning-teaching
http://www.cellphonesinlearning.com/2008/09/new-statistics-on-teen-cell-phone-use.html
http://www.education.com/magazine/article/cell_phone_learning/?page=2
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