Features and Instructional Applications of GIS and GPS.

Compare the features and instructional applications of GIS and GPS tools. How can educators use GIS and GPS tools to enhance student learning?

The Graphic Information System, known as a GIS is a computer system that has a database that stores information about geographic locations. When using a GIS, students are able to compare the population, wildlife, areas, and cities. They can compare two towns or cities simultaneously. In addition they are able to maintain massive amount of data on a geographical location, obtain and produce current customized maps. This will allow for them to perform a compare analysis of the data collected.

The Global Positioning System or GPS already has the information in a bank provided by 24 satellites and their ground stations. The GPS is capable of calculating the position of a given point of location on Earth and be accurate within feet or inches of the position. The GPS can be used to locate a city within the state and check if their figures are correct when doing a word problem, as a reward. Students can even use them to locate their own address to see just how accurate it can be.

Both the GIS and the GPS are good tools to teach science and social studies, but it could also be used in Math. When these tools are used in relation to the student personally, educators will in turn have a higher producing student.

Drill or Kill!!!!!????????

Some people say drill and practice is really "drill and kill." What can teachers do to make sure this kind of use doesn't happen and drill and practice can serve a useful function?

Drill and practice does offer positive feedback to a student. Plus it allows them to progress at their own pace. It is a simple learning method just as long that it is not used as the main method of learning. The intent of drill and practice is not to be used as the primary form of teaching. This method need to be only as the lesson has been present to the student in lecture and example form. Drill and practice method also needs to be developed accordingly to the student learning style. Finally, if the drill and practice is going to be used, it should be used only to reinforce skills already taught. One thing that I read to be disconcerting is the idea of drill and practice is considered as an effective teaching methodology suggests that repetition is necessary for the brain to 'wire' itself appropriately. The drill and practice is a good method for memorization but as I've said in another post memorizing is not the same as learning.

Technology Friend or Foe???????

Some educators feel that distance technologies will greatly improve education; some feel education will suffer if they are overused.

Distance technology better known as distant learning is a great tool to be able to utilize. If it had not been created many would not be able to further their education. Those benefiting from this technology are homebound people, single parents, working people, and children. One such example is women, who placed their education on hold to care for their family. We also have the luxury of working at our own pace and when time allows for working on out assignments. Then we have the availability to access information at a touch of a button.
But this great innovation has its down side too. For teachers it requires a lot of time that must be dedicated to maintaining the on line curriculum. Then you have lack of interaction with fellow students and the instructor. We also have difficulty accessing the information or lack of accurate information. Feedback is also slow from the student as well as the instructor. Then you also have to deal with the fact that there are some professors unable to operate this new technology.

What are factors you can cite in support of each of these positions?

Factors that support distance learning:

• It is a core differentiator in attracting students and corporate partners.
• Online learning is considered key to advancing their mission, placing advanced
education within reach of people who might otherwise not be able to access it.
• Future education and training endeavors will be increasingly knowledge based.
The amount of information available to individuals will continue to explode.
• Putting education within reach of many more individuals around the world.
• Professional and educational training opportunities
• Experts working at other locations
• Personnel in remote or dispersed locations with access to primary site personnel,
instructional materials and other resources
• Network-dispersed groups
• Humanizing is the process of creating an atmosphere that focuses on the importance
of the individual and overcomes distance by generating group rapport
• Participation in teleconferencing is defined as the process of getting beyond the
technology by providing opportunities for spontaneous interaction among
participants.
• Message style is presenting what is to be said in such a way that it will be
received, understood and remembered.
• Feedback is the process of getting information about the message which helps you
and the participants complete the communications loop.

http://www.nmc.org/pdf/Future-of-Higher-Ed-(NMC).pdf

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Will+distance+technologies+improve+education&page=1&qsrc=2417&dm=all&ab=2&title=Distance+Education+Primer&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.teletrain.com%2FPrimer.html&sg=veCXtzRTIfgRjdrgL9wUxInDUT9Qma2GtUrY%2FlmOWKI%3D&tsp=1257352149480

Factors that oppose distance learning:

• Operational challenges may hinder the full benefits from being realized technology
may be disruptive in ways not intended: respondents note a rise in student
plagiarism, cheating and distractibility, which they attribute to easy and ready
access to mobile technologies.
• Funding and controlling costs are key concerns.
• Technology remains a disruptive innovation—and an expensive one.
• Rapid change
• Lack of humanization to the list of planning considerations.
• Low participation which may detour interest in the program.
• The message style needs to be more effective and enjoyable.
• The way to get feedback during program time as well as off the-air may be timely
or lacking. Educators are unable to read body language due to being physically
separated from you.
• Students increasingly associate educational value with campus technology.
• Students rate faculty lack of tech knowledge as the biggest obstacle to classroom
technology integration and see it as a growing problem.
• Lack of Access to library resources, electronic link with the institution’s
library, and lack of Cooperative agreements for students to use the libraries of
other agencies
• Students learn from other students. Emphasis on student-to-student interaction
through group tasks and cooperative activities has increased as we move from a
teaching to a learning paradigm.
• The educational experience from teacher-centered to learner-centered.
• This form of education requires new skills for both the instructor and the
students.




http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Will+distance+technologies+improve+education&page=1&qsrc=2417&dm=all&ab=2&title=Distance+Education+Primer&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.teletrain.com%2FPrimer.html&sg=veCXtzRTIfgRjdrgL9wUxInDUT9Qma2GtUrY%2FlmOWKI%3D&tsp=1257352149480

http://www.ask.com/bar?q=how+education+is+suffering+because+of+distance+education&page=1&qsrc=2417&dm=all&ab=8&title=Distance+Education%3A+Facing+the+Faculty+Challenge&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.westga.edu%2F%7Edistance%2Fojdla%2Fsummer42%2Fbower42.html&sg=%2B81rdcrnPdB8ZTqbcSkTxwl9Zb0Sgufgzyn0GgFr7Bs%3D&tsp=1257353986805

Special Education Training and Tools of the Trade.

Describe issues related to training special education teachers to use technology.

According to our textbook, it states that most teachers start with minimal experience in using technology in the classroom. That despite efforts their knowledge is inadequate in their exploring the possibilities that technology offers.

Some of the few issues are as follows:

An issue regarding training in special education technology centers in the use of interdisciplinary teams for evaluating the need for assistive technology and decision making in the selection of the appropriate devices and services.

Another is the assistive technology itself for it was first developed to meet the needs for students that had low-incidence disabilities.

Yet another issue is the dialogue between teacher and student. That can not be taught to a teacher. The teacher needs to be able to community the assignment. For some of the students, their disabilities are severe. Still other issues are the time constraints to learn the technology, location of the training facility, the financial support to be able to send these teachers to be trained to use the technology. The greatest issue is even being able to obtain the technology to be trained on the equipment to be able to use with the student or students, who need it. So the individual’s, who needs to be able to be taught, is an issue in itself.

Give examples of no-tech, low-tech, and high-tech solutions for special students.

No-tech solutions- A no-tech plan relies more upon people than upon aids. There is no better solution than to simply be prepared and practice. This means practice an evacuation routes on a regular basis, this makes people feel comfortable and safe. Create a buddy system and pair up students, who may have a disabilities with a partner that can community with them, it will help should the need arrive and it will make the rescue faster. Also, designate a meeting place.


Low-tech solutions- A plan will often use pictogram or signs in order to convey a message quickly during an emergency, which can be useful to people who are hearing impaired, don’t speak English, or cannot read. Using the universal symbol for hospital is a more common example of a low-tech pictogram. Also, add Braille to signs, especially signs that label an exit or which floor of a building you are on. They are inexpensive, these signs may save the life of someone who is blind and trying to navigate an unfamiliar building alone. Emergency alarms that can be both seen and heard, and doors that can be opened without exerting a lot of strength.

High-tech solutions – When using high tech the following can be considered.

Electronic Communication Boards that are similar in principle to their Low Tech counterparts. The difference being two-fold, the ECBs are electronic and more frequently utilize programs such as Board maker as a resource for collecting symbols for communication of intentions. With this program you have the ability to create, modify and develop communication boards that are more detailed and tailored to the individual.

Telecommunication devices are utilized for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. These devices assist the user to communicate through the use of a electronic keyboarding device. There are also keyboards that are positioned at different angles to provide for correct ergonomic function.

History Wars

What are the "history wars," and what are their implications for technology use in history?

According to our text “history wars” are disagreements between educators about how history should be taught to the students and what should be taught to them. The other dilemma is just how much in-depth history should be taught. Then there are educators who believe that we should stay closer to the basics in history because in using technology, it opens up to a broader range of information. Also, that there is too much focus they consider to be outside of mainstream, traditional historical themes and important events that shaped the United States.

With students' ready access to information on the Internet, what might be the concerns of social studies teachers?

Some of the concerns of social studies teachers are that all information posted on the internet may not be accurate. The internet is not monitored for accuracy. Educators need to review these sites prior to the lesson for credibility and that is time consuming. Yet, before we even have the student access the internet we have to address if we even have authorization to use the internet from the District office, Principal, and Parents.

Chapter 5 Discussion

Many educators believe that with the growth of media and information technology, media literacy is just as important as – or even more important than – print literacy (that is, learning to read and write).

What is your position on the relative importance of the two “literacies”?

I am of the opinion that both are equally important to learn and become knowledgeable in every aspect of education, especially with the push for integration of technology in our classrooms. But I would have to sway more towards the print literacy. Without a good foundation to reading and writing, a person will find it difficult to community. Even more is the inability to retain information or exchange information for the purpose of growth. They may be able to learn but for the most part we all have the same format to follow when learning, even if we alter it for those who have impairments. Though there are other methods to community and learn, the foundation still remains to be reading and writing. We adapt for individual needs but we all still have to have a common base to build from.

What information from this chapter helps support your position?

According to Leu (2002a) it is pointed out that as new technologies emerge, so does the need for new literacies; therefore, it is critical that students learn how to learn new literacy technology. Our text also states the “traditional definitions of reading, writing, and viewing and traditional definitions of best practice instruction-derived from a long tradition of book and other print media-will be insufficient. But it never states that reading and writing will ever be obsolete. Even though the text makes a valid point towards learning new literacy, it never says that reading and writing is not needed.

Furthermore, according to Carl Whithaus, associate professor of writing at UC Davis; who believes that computers do not spell the demise of literacy -- in fact, they may help to create one of the most literate and engaged generations the world has seen. Whithaus is part of a project using technology to increase academic achievement. He is discovering that traditional print-based literacy is important. According to Whithaus, "Traditional print-based reading and writing is only part of a much larger set of skills that students need in the 21st century."

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/06/18/computers.can.boost.literacy

TIP Model Phase 4-Preparing the Instructional Environment

TIP Model Phase 4-Preparing the Instructional Environment

This is the scenario in which we have been tasked to access.

Esmerelda is having her students do a social studies project in which they do "virtual interviews" of experts on various periods in U.S. history. She schedules time in the computer lab and has them locate experts by searching Internet sites. She gives them an initial list of sites, but encourages them to branch out from there, looking for additional sites on their own. There is no lab manager and she has to go back to the classroom for periods of time as they work, but she knows they are competent Internet users and can be trusted not to leave the lab without permission. For their contacts with experts, she has them prepare a standard email with the school name; their names, ages, addresses, and personal email addresses, if they have one; and a description of what they would like to know.

1. Assuming she is correct that students will not leave the lab with permission, is Esmeralda's plan for having students use the Internet a good one? Why or why not?

Leaving the lab without permission would be the least of my concern when dealing with the internet.

The concept of using the internet is both a good and a bad idea. When using the internet for research, it is a valuable tool in which they are able to expand to out of the box thinking with the initial list of sites she has provided for them. Also, with allowing access to the internet to do research, it is reinforcing confidence to become familiar with the use of the internet.

But with the idea of performing an on line interview with a so called "virtual interviews" of experts on various periods in U.S. history is something I feel is only asking for trouble and placing her students into possible harm. There is no way she can be sure that her students are dealing with reputable people and not a predator. She is especially encouraging them to branch out from there to look for additional sites on their own in which she has not gone to herself first to determine if they are safe. I believe Esmerelda is performing poor judgment by allowing them to continue this assignment without her constant supervision.

2. Do you see any problems with the email she is having them send?

There are several problems with the email she is having them create to send. First of all she is having them prepare a standard email with the school name; their names, ages, addresses, and personal email addresses, if they have one.

No one should ever put personal information like their ages, schools, email address and definitely not their addresses. It is an open invitation to help predators to target children. The email they are composing contains too much information for a predator to be able to physically locate one of the children.

3. How would you change her plan to improve it?

If I were the teacher, I would not have them perform a "virtual interview". It is a subject that would be too difficult to monitor 100% without endangering the students. But I would utilize the internet by showing them how to obtain information from sites that I had already explored prior to demonstrating the lesson in classes. I could perform the searches in class using the equipment provided by the school and stress the importance of not providing information to anyone on the internet even if it may seem harmless. I would also, direct them to other resources such as other teachers, text books, the library, and the local colleges with the assistance of their parents.