The discussion question was...
Consider the use of mobile technologies and how you personally use them. Can you see a place for them in the classroom? In what context? What kinds of guidelines would you suggest for having mobile tools accessible in your school classroom?
I responded with...
I don't think we have a choice about whether mobile technologies should be in the classroom or not. Almost every student, starting around middle school, has at least a cell phone. The middle school that I work in, most of the students, not only have cell phone (the top of the line cell phones like the Andriod and iPhones), but tablets of some form too. Students are already so into technology I feel we are forced to teach it in the classrooms. We might as well teach them the correct way to use it, especially mobile technologies because they can go everywhere with the student. The article, 'Adventures with Cel Phones', was great because it had a teacher using mobile technologies in the right way. The students were supposed to do a poll online and then the teacher responded to their answers. The article claimed it gave students who may be shyer a chance to speak honestly. It also warned that mobile technologies can be bad too. Students should be taught about internet safety, sexting, chat rooms, public messages, and using them for cheating in the classroom. The only way I feel that mobile technologies can be used in the classroom is if it used strictly towards educational means. If part of a lesson can be made more interesting and engaging to students by using mobile technologies, then why not use them. In terms of guidelines I think all parties, so parents, teachers, and students, should be involved in coming up with guidelines for when mobile tools are appropriate to be used. Parents and teachers should create a list of expectations from students and students should follow them, if not then consequences will occur. It's like any new set of rules in a classroom. The only phrase I can think of that I would tell students beginning to use mobile technologies in the classroom is…"Use it for good."
The short clip on NBC, 'Are Teen Brains Wired for Multi-Tasking?,' was interesting because the doctor scanning teenagers brains claimed that because of teens multi-tasking abilities their brains are becoming more flexible and able to sort out the information needed and unneeded.
I definitely fall into the category of technology multi-tasking. Just as I was reading over articles and watching the videos I was also checking Facebook via my phone and listening to music via my computer. But I need to be surrounded by at least one form of technology at all time. Most of the time it's my cell phone. I carry it around the house and it sleeps in my bed while it charges.
Prezi...
http://prezi.com/ivu7gljxxjhl/mini-schnauzers/
Overall I liked Prezi. It's a different and definitely more interesting way of doing something similar to a PowerPoint Presentation. I did mine on Mini Schnauzers. I own a Mini Schnauzer and am obsessed with her! All the pictures on the presentation are of her. I was going to put way more up, but the assignment said a "short" presentation.
This could definitely be used in the classroom. Any student could use this when making a presentation. Like I already said it's far more interesting then just looking at one boring slide after another. Students would be able to make their own unique presentation. It reminds me a little bit of Glogster and how you can type whatever you want and then drag them around the screen. Adding images and videos was simple enough too.
The benefits of this are the flexibility it allows. You are able to choose a template of your choice and a layout of your choice. The way in which you want it to flow is also up to you. The only immediate drawback that I noticed was it took me a little bit of time to figure out how to use all the tools. I did watch the instructional video and that was very helpful. But I think with more time I could easily master it.
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