Class One

June 6, 2012

Class Notes...

Branford Technology Assessment
http://branfordtech.assessment.howtomaster.com
- Technology competence test that all kids should know by the 8th grade

Pretest
- Platform is difficult
- Paying attention
- Reading the questions clearly
- Wording is not commonly used on questions

- Big issue in state is not everyone is getting the same access to technology

Reason
- There is a national core standard
- Article: "The ISTE National Educational Technology Standards (NET-S) and Performance Indicators for Students/Teachers"
- Just a plan, not a common core curriculum

Smartboards VS iPads
- Smartboard: only one person can interact at a time
- iPad: more than one person can use it at a time and interact with the teachers and other students also connected to iPads

- Change of cellular technology

Tech Savvy
- There can be too much technology out there and there is no level of mastery
- Technology depends on area
- Assumption that kids know how to use technology
- Example: kids may know how to use Microsoft Word and can type something, but cannot edit it

- A lot education programs, graduates, did not touch technology

Google Docs
- Allowed people to stop sending documents as email attachments
- Why use it in the classroom?
- Can see in real time what your students are working on
- Teachers can see progress of students
- Free program
- Collaborative
- Purpose for chat feature

iForms
- Spreadsheet format

After tonight’s class I’ve learned that I am not only boring but technology impaired. My introduction of myself was probably the worst, "Hi my name is Lauren and I'm getting my Masters in Special Education. I work with children on the spectrum. I used to ride horses when I was younger and more fit." Stupid. Maryann talked about her time traveling to a foreign country where they got bitten by a bullet ant. It's apparently called that because its bite supposedly feels like a bullet just hit you. The locals thought she was going to die because she was not only pale and white but a woman. Mike next to me said he had a loud mouth and sometimes can't contain his sarcastic comments. This is true. The other Mike said he enjoys using puns in his everyday life. He feels it brings humor to the crazy situations he gets involved in working with emotionally disturbed children. Justin told us a story how one time in college he branded his leg with a blow torch and a wire coat hanger. Ridiculous.

Professor De Abreu was going over the syllabus and all I kept thinking about was, "How did Maryann survive that bullet ant bite? Mike next to me is fidgeting like crazy, it needs to stop. What pun might beat out Mikes best pun? I cannot believe Justin thought it was a good idea to brand his leg." But once sucked back into the reality that I am in a class called Introduction to Educational Technology, I suddenly realize that I know very little about anything on the syllabus. The syllabus had a section in it called perquisites and requirements. Uh oh. It stated that we either needed to have already taken a prerequisite technology course or needed to have extensive experience prior to taking this course. I’ve done neither! I was now in panic mode. Then we were handed out a long checklist of technology based programs. As I read down the list I thought, oh crap, I know maybe 5 of these. All my checks landed in the “I have never heard of this” column.

Feeling completely dumb I pushed all my papers under my folder hoping they’d disappear and that they'd somehow take me with them.