Interactivity #3

            The group process required by this interactivity was both authentic and collaborative.  Besides this assignment being labeled as a group project by the professor, I think there was good communication between all of the group members (through emails, etc).  I also think that everyone completed their share of the spreadsheet and worked well together, considering that it was an online collaborative project with almost no face to face meetings.  The final inventory that emerged from the spreadsheet made was useful and beneficial to all content areas, more specifically world language, art, and history.  I feel that the technologies that I listed, which all pertained to world language, could also be useful in other content areas and vice versa. Many technologies that were listed by both the history and art majors were technologies that I was never familiar with, but could definitely be useful for lesson plans and activities in my content area.  I think that creating this spreadsheet was a good opportunity for us future teachers to learn from each other and improve teaching methods through technology.  I believe that no teacher is perfect and there is always room for adjustment and improvement, and collaborating to form a final list for inventory technologies is a good way to do it.  This list of inventory not only serves the purpose of future methods and lesson planning as professionals but can also be useful in other courses throughout the semester.  These technologies, especially the ones that are new to me (possibly to other group members as well), can be used as tools to help complete homework and other major assignments in my other courses.  This type of work may include producing lesson plans, completing papers, and even note taking and studying for exams.  I think this interactivity was a great way to learn about new technology that could help us as both the students and the teachers in the classroom environment.

The History of Technology in Schools

Since the 1820's technology has come a long way in classrooms all across the United States.  Over time, all subject areas have improved and modified their particular curriculum to incorporate activities and even add new standards that involve the use of technology.  During this historical time period, more particularly during the 1960's, language labs were introduced into foreign language classrooms.  These labs were a huge break through for foreign language teacher's classroom environments and for their content materials and activities.  From then on foreign language teachers were no longer limited to using lectures, chalkboards, and textbooks to teach grammar and culture.  With the use of language labs, students are now able to audio sound and images to help with language acquisition.  The use of  computers in these language labs has also opened up a bigger spectrum of possibilities to learn about the culture of the target language as well.  Over time the technologies and other types of media used in language labs have improved, which means that learning a new language has become easier and more fun then the traditional (lecture/textbook based) classroom environment that was used before language labs were introduced in the 1960's.

Interactivity #2: The History of Technology in Schools

Foreign Language Labs:  A step into language acquisition and foreign cultures

Interactivity #1

Technology has not always been a big part of my life.  I remember when I was a child, right up until the first grade, that technology was not such a big deal.  It was still the early 90s and people were not as big on technology as they are now.  I remember how excited I was in the second grade when my dad bought our first desktop.  The desktop didn't have internet access until I was in the sixth grade but it was still something to be excited about.  Back then I was able to live without the internet and other technologies and entertain myself in other ways.  I didn't even own a cell phone until high school!  But thinking about it now, I would never be able to live without technology.  The most influential communication technologies in my life at the moment, which most likely will be for the rest of my life, are:  1) my cell phone 2) my computer, more specifically my laptop and 3) my ipad.  All of these technologies have the internet and they are three things that are an essential part of my life that I probably couldn't let go of. 

 All of these technological objects impact every part of my life.  At first I would have never thought that this could be possible, but after thinking about it, my cell phone, computer, and ipad are a part of everything I do.  These three technologies definitely have a big impact on my social life.  When I was younger my social life consisted of playing with my cousins and friends outside on my block, but that has drastically changed.  Everything I do that revolves around my social life, is effected by the use of one of these three technologies that I mentioned.  My cell phone plays a major part.  It is how I get in touch with my friends, family, and how I coordinate my plans with them.  Besides communicating with friends and family overseas over social networks, I use these technologies to communicate with collegues and professors, and I even use it to play games and research. Technology has become a big part of my life academically as well.  I use technology to complete assignments, write papers, and research.  The internet has most definitely opened up the possibilitites to learn more then I could by researching topics in books.   I can even do everything that I mentioned on my laptop and ipad as well, and most definitely couldn't live without them.  All of these happen to be apple products and I most definitely could not get myself out of the apple world now either. 

My experiences with my technologies are extremely similiar to the experiences that the students have mentioned in the videos.  Although many students do not contain some technologies at home, such as laptops, computers, etc., they are rely on technology to get ahead both socially and academically.  Students have stated that technology is convenient for any use, a necessity especially when it comes to reading and writing, and can change something ordinary to extraordinary.  Students feel that technology is a way for them to express who they are, by means of social networks and websites, and it allows them to connect and coordinate with other people and other students.  It is safe to say that technology has become a big part of life for these students and that it is better to incorporate it into school curriculum.  Teachers need to make sure that they do this and they need to keep in mind that students enjoy activities that involve technology and the internet.  I feel that if teachers take this into consideration and actually integrate technology and the use of the internet in their lesson plans in any way they can, then students will have fun and will actually be engaged and want to learn. 

About Me

Hi everyone!


My name is Maryann and I'm a senior here at MSU. My major is Italian so I plan on getting certified and teaching it at the high school level after I graduate. I also plan on getting my ESL certificate. In the meantime, I substitute teach and I've been working in my local library for the past three years. Everyone may think that working in a library means only working with books, but my experience here has tremendously improved my technological skills. I would say that I am very comfortable with using any type of general technology. In this class I would like to learn how to incorporate new technologies into the school curriculums. I am already familiar with the new smartboard technology that is being used in the classroom, so I would like to learn other ways in which technology can benefit the classroom experience for both the students and the teachers.

Fiber Optic Communication

Fiber Optic Communication is a method of transmitting information from one place to another by sending pulses of light through an optical fiber. The light forms an electromagnetic carrier wave that is modulated to carry information. The process of communicating using fiber-optics involves the following basic steps: Creating the optical signal involving the use of a transmitter, relaying the signal along the fiber, ensuring that the signal does not become too distorted or weak, receiving the optical signal, and converting it into an electrical signal.

Modern fiber-optic communication systems generally include an optical transmitter to convert an electrical signal into an optical signal to send into the optical fiber, a cable containing bundles of multiple optical fibers that is routed through underground conduits and buildings, multiple kinds of amplifiers, and an optical receiver to recover the signal as an electrical signal. The information transmitted is typically digital information generated by computers, telephone systems, and cable television companies.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiber-optic_communication#Technology

Wireless Networking Precautions

There are many ways to make sure that your computer stays secure when using a wireless network. One way is to use a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP). A WEP is a protocol that helps protect the information on your computer with a network key. Another way to protect your computer against any type of hackers is a firewall. A firewall acts as a barrier around your computer and information against unwanted software on the internet.

There are other steps that you may take to secure your computer when using a wireless device. Position wireless components away from windows so that it decreases the radio signal outside your intended coverage area. Do not give the wireless encryption key to anyone and do not keep it in open and obvious spaces, hide it. Also, make sure that the whole network on your computer is being protected, not just the wireless part of the computer.

http://www.readycrest.co.uk/articles/wirelessnetworking/wirelessnetworks.php