How Technology Saved My 22 Hour Car Ride

During Thanksgiving break, my family and I went to Florida to go on a cruise, visit Disney World, and see the new Harry Potter Theme Park. Sounds like a lot of fun right? When I first heard our plans, I thought so too then I found out we would be DRIVING to Florida....twenty-two long hours. How would I ever survive? I soon found out the twenty-two hour trip went a lot smoother than I could have ever imagined it to, and I honestly think I have technology to thank for this.

The first time we ever made this drive was when I was in third grade. This was well before the time of iPods, XM Satellite Radio, portable DVD players, GPS tracking devices, etc. We still like to joke about the "portable TV" my parents created for us. This consisted of a small TV with a VCR player and TV shelf strapped to the back of the driver's chair. This took up so much room in the car that no one could sit behind the driver because there was no room for their legs. Anytime we left the vehicle we had to put blankets over this contraption to cover it up. While it did help the drive, it was nothing compared to the technology we had this time around. My sister brought her laptop computer. This allowed us to play games, do homework, watch movies, etc. The best thing was that it hardly took up any room and when we left the truck we could put it under the seat and no one knew it was there!

Technology was definitely on our side for this trip. No more constantly looking at maps, searching for radio stations only to have them go fuzzy a couple hours down the road, and most importantly I could turn on my iPod and tune out my parents music. It's amazing to think about how much technology has changed in fourteen years. For the most part, I was always using some form of technology for entertainment or necessity. I really do believe that is the reason why this road trip went so smoothly.

And in case your wondering....our vacation was amazing! The Harry Potter Theme Park is unbelievable. The creators did a fabulous job of bringing the books to life!

Research Article Number Two: Who Should Teach Keyboarding and When Should It Be Taught?

This blog will be a summary of an article I read entitled "Who Should Teach Keyboarding and When Should It Be Taught?" by Maragret J. Erthal. I wanted to find an article that related to our recent in-class discussions, and I was very please when I stumbled across this article.

The article starts of by stating the classes in which keyboarding used to be taught. Erthal explained that most of the time keyboarding was taught in business classes. During one's freshman and sophomore years, the student would be taught typewriting I and II. The junior year would be spent learning Office Practice and shorthand I, and senior year would be spent learning Secretarial Practice and shorthand II.

The author then goes to explain how the computer completely revolutionized the way keyboarding was taught. Computers allowed students to be more efficient and soon other disciplines started noticing the advantages of using a computer. English and math teachers started requiring the students to use the computer more and more in the classroom. The schools even started a Computer Literacy class. The business teachers thought they were the most qualified to teach this course, but in time math and science teachers thought they were capable of teacher this as well.

Erthal explains that by the 1980s personal computers started making their appearance in elementary classrooms. When these students came to high school, the teachers found that enrollment in keyboarding classes had dropped and students were using the "hunt and peck" method.

From there, the author explains that with the rise in technology teachers must consider when keyboarding should be taught and who should teach it. She discusses some of the requirements of learning and teaching keyboarding. One must have the psychomotor skills that are capable of learning such a skill and there must be a sound pedagogical procedure in teaching keyboarding. Erthal then states some of the advantages of learning keyboarding early on. Those listed include enhanced use of time, effective use of computers, neater finished products, higher motivation, and better developed language skills. With all of this said, when does one begin teaching keyboarding skills?

The author suggested that children between the ages of 10 and 12 should begin learning keyboarding skills. Erthal believes that younger children do not have the dexterity or appropriate hand size to learn keyboarding. At the initial keyboarding stage, the author would like to see children learning the appropriate keyboarding techniques, and once this stage is completed reinforcement activities should take place afterwards to straighten these skills. Erthal suggests that it takes about thirty hours of initial keyboarding practice for children to acquire correct keyboarding techniques. The next question that comes to mind is who should teach this class. The author believes that the person who teaches this course should be very knowledgeable. She does believe that a business teacher can teach this, but that teacher must have know the methodology behind teaching elementary students. Otherwise a teacher who has had training in keyboarding can teach this skill to the students. The author believed that the next thing that must be decided was what software to use. This questions proved more difficult. Erthal stated that many software is good for "drill, remediation, enrichment practice, as well as adding variety to keyboarding instruction", however the software cannot recognize the individual need of the students. Choosing a good software can prove to be very difficult. The author summed up the article by explaining the importance of learning keyboarding skills, and summing up her arguments.

I found this article to be very similar to what we have learned in class. Erthal's age at which she suggested students start keyboarding was very close to the age suggested in our notes. She also agreed that when students first learn keyboarding teachers should spend around thirty hours teaching this skill and reinforce it throughout the years. She also talked about the difficulty in picking out a developmentally good software. I was happy to see another source that matched the beliefs from our class notes.

Keyboarding in the Classroom

Since our last class was devoted to talking about keyboarding in the classroom, I have decided to dedicate this blog to discuss some of my experiences with keyboarding growing up and some of my experiences with it during student teaching.

The first time I remember being taught keyboarding was in fifth grade. We had a class specifically devoted to the subject that met every other day. This class was taught to fifth through eighth graders. We were taught keyboarding through a leveled program. Each individual student would progress through the lessons at his/her own pace. At the end of each lesson, there was a game a to play. We, of course, all worked fast simply to get to the game. I also remember that as we got older we would have timed typing test. I was a decent typist and loved doing this. I don't remember any student being upset because he/she wasn't as fast as a typist as other students, but it very well could have happened. When I compare this program to the notes, it doesn't exactly match the suggested time for successful programs. We spent more than thirty hours on keyboarding the first year, and the following years the time probably stayed the same until eighth grade. I remember that year the class switched from learning the keys to learning how to use word, power point, and excel to create professional products which was very beneficial. We did begin learning keyboarding around the suggested grade level to start. We began in fifth grade, and our notes did suggest third or fourth grade. I don't think the program that we learned to do keyboarding was very successful. It got to be very boring and repetitive. I think my favorite part of keyboarding class was learning about the actual programs. This was a huge help when I went to high school. I do believe that were positive and negative parts of my keyboarding class.

I didn't have much of any experience with keyboarding lessons when I student taught, but I did require the students in my fourth grade placement to make power points. This was a disaster. In terms of keyboarding skills, the students were at so many different levels. I had students finish within two days, and I had students on their first slide on their second day. I ended up pairing students who were finished with their power points with students who were slower at typing. These students would type what the students wanted to say. I didn't want to do it like this, but unfortunately we were on a deadline. I wish I would have talked more with my cooperating teacher to find out how the students were taught keyboarding skills. It's something that I never really thought of to ask about.

After my own experience with learning keyboarding and my experience in the classroom, I realize how beneficial it can be to have students learn these skills earlier. I do think it allows the teacher to be able to incorporate more technology within the classroom and in turn will save time when using technology.

Video Recording in the Classroom

This past week in class we discussed the use of video recording in the classroom. I really like this technology because I believe that there are a lot of possibilities for use in the classroom and I think it's a rather simple technology. After class, I stared to think of some negatives about using video recording in the classroom and how I could make them less negative.

I'm the type of person who loves being in front of the camera. However, I know that not everyone is like this. Some of my students may be very shy and self conscious and not want to be in front of the camera. So how do I go about dealing with this? I think the students could be involved with video projects and not have to be in front of the camera. They could have more responsibility writing scripts, running the camera, or editing the video. There are other options that allow them to still be involved without actually being in front of the camera.

The next problem that I thought about was cost. Let's be honest, I could be in a school that may not be able to afford video cameras. What do I do then? If I wasn't able to afford my own camera to bring in, I could always ask for parent volunteers. The parents could volunteer a couple of different ways. They could either let us borrow their camera and the students could tape or they could come in and tape the students. Both of these also bring up issues. The first option of using parents video recorders is very risky, but just like if my students were using school equipment I would expect them to be extremely careful. The second option doesn't allow for the students to have experience with the technology, but it still allows for the experience of presenting material and for editing. Both options have some downfalls, but it's still better than not having the technology at all.

The last "bump in the road" I thought of was problems with editing on the computer. When we were doing our project for class, we encountered a few problems, but just like with anything other technology you have to be patient and figure out a way around your problem. I don't have a better answer than that. Any technology you use will not always run perfectly, but as a teacher you will have to learn to think on your toes and find a solution to your problem.

I really believe that video recording is a fabulous technology to use in the classroom. My group had so much fun recording our project that I know children will love it as well. These were just a few problems that I could foresee happening, but like any problem there's always a solution to it.

Digital Storytelling

A few weeks ago we were introduced to digital storytelling. I thought this topic was perfect because I had just read a research article about using blogs as a source to tell and share stories. After class, I really started thinking about storytelling in the classroom. How often are our students allowed to tell stories? It seems like most of the time when a student starts to tell a story the teacher stops him/her and says that it's not the time to tell stories. I will admit I'm guilty of doing this. After my experience with children, it's apparent that they love to tell stories,  and after I read that article, I realized how beneficial storytelling can be.

With all the avaiable technology, there is so much a teacher can do with storytelling. I really like the idea of using blogs to share a story. I think this is a great idea because students can read and respond to other students stories, and it doesn't even have to be students within the same classroom. It could be students from another state! I think in one class we talked about the idea of an on-going story. The teacher would start a story and the students would comment to keep the story going. This would be so easy to do using a blog. I also really like the idea of digital storytelling like the ones we talked about in class. I think this is such a great idea because students not only work on writing a story, but they have to work on their voicing. This is something that is typically not stressed until later grades. I say it's never too early to start learning this skill!

Does anyone else have ideas of other programs or internet sites that could be used to tell/share stories? I thought about using Skype to share stories. This way students could tell their stories to students across the town, state, or country. They could even Skype with parents or grandparents to share stories. Just a few thoughts on storytelling. Now if only I could decide on what story I want to tell for my project. Hope everyone is having a great week!