Yellow Group -Everyday Technologies in the Classroom

I can't really think of any ways to use cell phones inside the classroom, and it seems to me that the distraction would outweigh the benefit. I do believe students should be able to keep phones on them in case of emergency but do not think texting in class should be allowed. I think cell phones can be valuable tools on field trips. You can now go to the Baltimore Museum of Art and have a narrated tour via cell phone.
I think video games definitely have a place in the classroom, since computer games have been used in class for a long time. Some video games can be just as educational as computer games.
You Tube could be used to introduce students to different cultures or performances. My son's 7th grade language arts teacher shows them Shakespeare performances on You Tube to help them comprehend the plays they read. He also let his students videotape him doing a silly dance and put it on You Tube as a reward for completing a big project in time.
I don't know about using social networking sites in school. They are all blocked from access at my son's middle school. I can imagine students communicating with or learning about students from another culture on a social networking site, but I think it would be hard to ensure the other students are who they say they are. I think it would be safer if only the students enrolled in a certain school were networked on a certain site, with access to outside members blocked. There could possibly be some academic applications in that case.
Blogs should definitely have a place in the classroom. Group projects could be collaborated on via blog, students could log observations, and books could be discussed.

Yellow Group

I do not tend to incorporate those forms of technology when we are asked to because I am not sure how it would work. I, like most people, have never experienced the use of those technologies in the classroom. I do not necessarily think that I am scared to use them in the classroom setting, but I am nervous as to how things would turn out.
I do not think that they would be useful in the classroom setting because I believe the cons outway the pros. It would be extremely difficult to monitor the uses, but I also think that education should be seperate from personal things as well.
Allowing students to use these in the classroom could pose some problems. One I can think of relates to the use of cell phones. Most schools have policies that prohibate the use of phones in schools, so I would not want to go against the policy. Also the social networking sites pose a problem because the students use that for their own personal use, we shouldn't expect them to have to worry about other classmates or teachers looking at their sites.

Yellow Group- green group

I feel as avid user to technology for entertainment it is hard to incorporate gaming technology and other personal technology into a teaching setting. Many of the games I have played in the past and present have close to no elements that could be applied to a class room setting to teach elements we have discussed.
However, these games and the technologies they use have not gone without making an impact in all training aspects. The gaming engines and graphics that most the games I have played have been adapted by the military for their simulation purposes.
In school learning though I believe it best to keep personal technology separate from class technology. I have A.D.D. and I I have a hard time keeping focus when things are incorporated that can loosely be used for other purposes. If we used youtube or social networks in class feel like 80% of the time I would spend wondering off doing things that have nothing to do with the class room. To incorporate these technologies in the class I feel with younger students would not end well. Eventually, leading to more of a distraction then a benefit in the classroom.

Green group

The technologies that we as students use in everday life should not be incorporated into the classroom. Such things like facebook, myspace, and cellphones are more entertainment techologies in nature. I'm not saying it would be impossible to use these in the classroom; in fact I think it would be pretty easy. I feel that using these would have a negative impact on learning and technology use. These coud provide distractions for students who have them and also for the students who don't. As for the negative impact on technology use, I know that I do not like using a technology outside of class that has been used for class purposes. Maybe if powerpoint had not been introduced into the classroom; some kids would use it for entertainment purposes.

green group

Well as i am a sophmore here at towson university and only 19 years old bringing in facebook, cell phones, etc would be very distracting. I know i text some people now during class and if i was allowed to have a cell phone out i would do it then as well. Items that students use on a daily basis as a form of fun entertainment shouldnt be introduced to the classroom for a regular activity. It is more of a distraction rather then a learning tool. You also have to look at the fact of the underpriveledged students, the one'e whose parents cannot afford the internet, a phone, unlimited texting, etc. how are those students suppose to complete a project without the needed supplies to do so.
Another thing, students use these tools like cell phone, video games, facebook, etc to get their mind away from school alittle, to relieve some stress if we were to incoorperate these items then i think more students may just turn away from school completely because then they will be using these items in a way that doesnt coinside with school.
Also in addition sites like facebook and myspace and some other social networking sites are a place for students to be themselves, a personal space for them; yes they shouldnt have extremely vulgar information on there but who would want a teacher let alone other students and parents that they dont really know invading in their privacy?

So basically i do not think these things should be intergrated into the classroom. I mean teachertube could be because that is something we dont use everyday and making a video with classmates will probably be fun but you have to have it as a inclass assignment as again there are underprivalged students out there who may not have the ability to use video recording material. So watch what you use in the classroom and make sure what you chose doesnt invade someones personal life and that every student, even the underprivagled, have access to the tools needed.

green group

I find it hard to think of technology that is used primarily for entertainment as having a place in the classroom. I think students have a lot of trouble focusing on the task at hand as it is. If, as a teacher, I were to incorporate, say a cell phone in my curriculum. Who is to say the student is doing what they are supposed to do with that phone? I have no way of knowing if they are doing the task provided, or taking that time to text friends. Also, not all students are privy to technology. Some may not have certain things, such as cell phones or PCs at home. This could be due to their families economic status. Or maybe their parents don't want them to have these things. I know a lot of parents that don't allow their children on social networking sites. Or parents that just can't afford text messaging on their phone plans, if cell phones at all. Is that fair to incorporate these things into your lesson plan if it will single out certain students?
I know I sound like a broken record. I bring up the same things in class. But I bring them up because these situations are there. I think there is a place for technology in the classroom for sure. Maybe every classroom is different. But I think there is such thing as too much technology in the classroom as well. I guess it's up to each teacher's discretion. But I play Devil's Advocate for a reason. As a teacher, you will have parents and administration that will throw these same things at you.

Nov. 9th

Technologies that we use everyday can be more useful then most people think when it comes to educational technologies. Cell phones can be a great use to communication between teachers and students as well as between students. Video games could also play a big role in educational technology if video games are used in a way that enhances the learning experience. Youtube and social network sites can also become very useful for teachers because they can both be used to better serve their students.
I don't think these technologies have been considered educational in the past because educational technologies were not as big as they are today. With the advances in technology we are experiencing today, we are able to use softwares such as these mentioned to enhance learning for students. I would love to incorporate these technologies into my teaching and will probably do so if given the right oppurtunity. I think they are an untapped resource and could prove to be very beneficial.

Green Group Technology post

When I think of using personal items such as video games in school I think
that they wouldn’t be approved for the most part. I would probably recommend
games that I thought were educational, but for the most part I’d let the kids
decide to play them of their own accord. For instance I find that most Sid
Meier games (Civilization, Spore, etc.) are very educational, but they are
also time-consuming. I’d recommend them to kids and incorporate them by maybe
offering extra credit if they could write me a paper about some things they
learned from the games. For YouTube I would use any video that I thought was
educational, reinforced a concept, or aided in my teaching. I think that
attempting to use social networking sites to help in teaching would be
frowned upon by the powers that be. Could they be helpful? Definitely, but
they’re usually blocked by school firewalls and then some parents don’t let
their kids use them. Cell Phones are frowned upon in school, not all kids
have them, and I don’t think the board of Education would be comfortable with
using cell phones in school, but it would definitely cool for a higher
education class. Blogs I would highly approve of. It would be an interactive
method for kids to write their opinions and thoughts on varying subjects.

When I think of personal technological use applied to education I think it
could help but it would be blocked by the political aspect of education.
Since getting things like video games, social network sites, and cell phone
use would probably never get approved we have an attitude of “why bother? “
When we think of educational technology we try to think of other things that
would satisfy the political aspect of education and facilitate learning.
This, I think, causes the disconnect when thinking about the application of

Teaching and Everyday Technology

I think that technology is a huge asset to teaching and that most technologies should be considered to be used in class. Even with students using a wide variety of technologies at a much younger age, some of those technologies should not be used in the classroom such as cell phones, social networking sites, and sites like Twitter. In my opinion, cell phones would pose too much of a distraction for students with the ability for them to text anyone during class and allow them to put their attention there instead of what is being taught. Social networking sites and sites like Twitter would pose a similar distraction to students unless there was a group created on one of the sites that required students to either view or post materials on. Some video games that are specifically designed for teaching basic skills could be useful at a younger ages, but generally at a certain point the games become boring and more of an annoyance to students than helpful. In class, sites such as Youtube would be a huge distraction for students allowing them to view a wide variety of material that does not have to do with the class and could be inappropriate for school. Youtube could be very useful outside of class though for classes like sign language where students could post speaches or even work in a drama class where a student could post a skit to share with the rest of the class.

Personal Technology

I believe that there is a line to be drawn when intergrating technology into education, because every thing should contain boundaries. When it comes to everyday technologies that we use such as cell phones and social networks, I dont believe that they should be used inside the classroom. Even I have trouble staying off my cell phone, let alone a young child. With text messages and possible phone calls from parents, can pose many distractions. I agree that blogging is a great idea, but incorporating social networks such as you tube and facebook could be asking for trouble. A teacher may assign classwork to have students venture out and meet others within the school through facebook, but what if they venture out and make contact with the wrong crowds. Even if a teacher wants her students to make a video and post it on you tube; you are exposing peoples children to millions of potential crazy people. So yes, I believe that intergrating technology is a wonderful idea, but with many restrictions. That is why I have been reluctant to mention my personal technologies because, personal should remain personal.

Blue Group - Technology Integration

To be honest, technology such as cell phones, video games, YouTube, and other social network sites are not used to be incorporated in the classroom. First of all, cell phones are not used because they are not complied to what's being taught and learned in a classroom. I believe cell phones are distractions and should be only used for emergencies, which I have mentioned in the previous blog post. Video games should not even be mentioned for classroom use. That is used for someone's free time. Nowadays, YouTube is used for students to learn visually. Blogs are beneficial because students are able to see what other students feel or have opinions on a particular topic and can receive feedback. Some other video sites should not be used because they conflict with personal technology use... some videos might be explicit to be shown in the classroom if a teachers wants to portray something to the extreme that will catch the attention of students.

As a future teacher, I would definitely use the technology that has been used in this classroom. They have been effective as I've learned about various uses of technology in the class. Like I mentioned before, blogging is a good way to communicate with other students and to be able to provide thoughts, comments, etc. Power point is always useful if the teacher uses it correctly. I will not be the teacher who will read off what's being shown slide after slide, but I will put up the main points and explain those points in detail. In addition, since I am going to become a math teacher, I would like to have class participation to answer questions by using clickers, possibly... if the school is able to provide them for students. Online games and tutorials are great for students to become interactive, and they could enjoy learning through the games and tutorials. I want to use technology that will help students learn better and be able to apply them in the future.