Technology in the classroom Essays

Technology in the classroom Essays Technology in the classroom Essay Technology in the classroom Essay Technology in the classroom BY dance2013 Rossing, J. , Miller, W. , Cecil, A. , Stamper, S. (2012). Learning: The future of higher education? Student perceptions on learning with mobile tablets. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 12(2), 1-26. http://files. eric. ed. gov/fulltext/ EJ978904. pdf Wright, V. , Wilson, D. (2012). Teachers Use of Technology: Lessons Learned from the Teacher Education Program to the Classroom. SRATE Journal. 20(2148-60. http:// files. eric. ed. gov/fulltext/EJ959529. pdf How does learning through technology affect a childs learning outcome? To try and nswer this question I searched multiple databases in order to find research. The databases I found the most research on were ERIC. I know this database is appropriate for the topic because they are websites that provide links to articles that have to do with Human Development and Family Science. ERIC allows you to narrow the results down to show only peer-reviewed articles and so I did that to make sure that they are reliable and appropriate sources. The first article was published in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, which is a very reliable Journal. It has been around for many years and it is very consistent. The second article is published in SRATE Journal, which I found to be of great quality. I know this because, like the first article, it has many sources and that shows that the research had been done in depth and found reliable information to be presented in the article. In the first article there are four authors, all affiliated to Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). The authors are: Jonathan P. Rossing, Willie M. Miller, Amanda K. Cecil, and Suzan E. Stamper. I think the authors are very credible because they have done their research and each of them either work at the University or is a professor. The second article has two authors: Vivian H. Wright, Professor at University of Alabama and Elizabeth K. Wilson, also a Professor at University of Alabama. I think they are both very credible, same as with the first source, because they are reliable professors and have information from a lot of that are cited are mostly all Journals. Examples of resources they used that I may want to look at for my paper are, Wivian Wright, Elizabeth Wilson, 2011. Technology integration is generally promoted as a method to enhance teaching and learning. And Jonathan P. Rossing, William M. Miller, Amanda K. Cecil, Suzan E. Stamper. 2012. The future of higher education? Student perceptions on learning with mobile tablets. Some terminology that is used is mobile tablets, meaning iPads or computers over textbooks and technology integration, also meaning computers over textbooks. The topic I am going to be writing my paper on is technology and how it affects a childs learni ng outcome. I have heard multiple opinions about how technology affects a childs learning outcome, both positive and negative sides. I am going to be doing research to see if technology truly is a positive or a negative contribution to a lassroom. My goal is to find out the affects of learning through technology is more beneficial than using textbooks or if technology is a negative contribution to childrens learning. The first article, iLearning: The future of higher education? Student perceptions on learning with mobile tablets, is talking about the use of mobile technology on college campuses and how technology will be the future of the classroom, including learning activities, research, and even communication between the teachers and students. However, is it a good thing or a bad thing? The authors discover that ntegrating technology into the classroom can contribute to useful academic outcomes, such as: digital video, podcasts, tablet computers. They also found that technology could support social construction of learning, assessment, motivation, and the students engagement in learning. On the other hand, they found a major problem with integrating technology into the classroom is income. They also discovered that the digital technology assistance in solving in teaching or learning practices are not clearly defined, and does not give you the clear help and guidance a teacher offers. This article provides both viewpoints of why technology can be a ositive attribute or a negative one. They first showed the positive contribution technology brings to a classroom and stated those contributions. They found that learning through technology allows students to expand discussion and investigation beyond the classroom. It enables them to collaborate and create knowledge and to interact with a larger range of content. The study consisted, in total, 209 II-JPLJI students participated in the study; students participation had no bearing on their status in the course and did not affect their grade in any way. For the negative aspect of technology in a classroom, income omes to mind (Cecil 2012). The relate is a survey that is meant to collect data in four open-ended questions consis ting of: how the iPads helped or limited learning, two things you liked about using it, two things you disliked about using it, and any suggestions for other ways to use the iPads. The results of this study led to finding both negative and positive aspects that technology brings to the classroom. They found educators using iPads or other mobile technology in the classroom must be committed to learning how to use devices effectively in classroom instruction and to working through the learning curve akes time to get use to and can be beneficial for students and teachers; for example, it can cause a bigger scale of communication for the entire class. However, the authors do mention a few limitations to this study. Those limitations are: only researching the outcomes of using an iPad, iPads have only been in the market for a few years, and the study is limited to student perceptions of learning and engagement. The interdisciplinary nature of this study made assessing student learning outcomes difficult due to the varied expectations and learning outcome easures from the arts and humanities to the hard sciences. Therefore, future research should include discipline specific studies that measure how mobile technology affects specific learning outcomes (Rossing 2012). With that being said, this study was limited to a specific population of people and when it is conducted next time it should use random sampling method. If the study were to use people whos first language is English, it may have ended with different results. Therefore, the researchers should have tested a variety of technologies, not Just Pads, and a larger scale of people. The second article, Teachers Use of Technology: Lessons Learn ed from the Teacher Education Program to the Classroom, is talking about how technology affects a teachers role in the classroom. They based their research on ten teachers perceptions of technology integration and technology use in their classrooms, five years after their graduation from a teacher education program which encouraged technology use in teaching and learning (Wright 2011). For this research, the authors interviewed and observed eight male and two female teachers who were currently teaching five years in a middle or high school classroom. The environment these teachers had to create were purely based on learning from technology. These teachers were exposed to multiple technologies such as: online discussions, interactive whiteboards, and online portfolios. These teachers received additional training in emerging technologies. The technology faculty member was also active in helping to develop the states technology standards and had initiated a Master Technology Teacher partnership with local middle and high school teachers. Qualitative data sources consisted of surveys and reflections, completed by the articipants during their teaching methods class and their internship. The interviews occurred during each teachers class preparation time or before/after school hours (Wright Wilson 2012). Moreover, the researchers spent countless hours interviewing and examining surveys to find out how much of an impact technology has on a teacher and learning. The results of this study gained positive feedback on the impact technology has on the teachers and learning outcome. They researchers found that the participants were given multiple technology applications and skills in developing their electronic ortfolio. The teachers continued to become familiar with ways to utilize basic technology skills and how to incorporate it into their teacher education program. Surprisingly, the authors did not have limitations during their study. This study was a true to form experiment. It allowed a good set of participants that were not too broad or too narrow. Given the fact that they received additional help could have altered the result, imagine if those teachers were not given extra help on improving their results. In conclusion, I found both these articles to be helpful in finding out how echnology can affect a teacher and a students learning outcome. They give clear evidence to support their arguments and to me it was not surprising to read the end results. I would have assumed there were positive and negative attributes in bringing technology into a classroom. However, I know this topic can last for an eternity because technology is always changing and progressing so we may never truly know how it can impact a teacher or a students learning outcome, we simply continue to do research for the present time and only hope to improve what needs the improvement.

The Hunger Games Book One Review

The Hunger Games Book One Review In The Hunger Games, author Suzanne Collins has created a fascinating dystopian world. The Hunger Games is a compelling novel focusing on life in an authoritarian society in which young people must compete to the death in the annual Hunger Games. The main character, 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, volunteers for the Hunger Games to keep her younger sister from being required to participate and her experiences and fight to survive are the heart of the book. Reading The Hunger Games can lead to interesting discussions about our own world and how reality shows, threats of war, authoritarian governments and obsession with fashion trends influence us daily. Due to the darkness of the story, it is best suited for teens and adults rather than tweens, although many younger kids have read the book or seen the movie or both. Panem: the World of the Hunger Games Trilogy While the creation of Panem is not fully fleshed out until the second book, we know that this authoritarian society was the result of a horrible disaster during the Dark Days, resulting in the establishment of twelve districts under the rule of the government in the Capitol. Peacekeepers and a local government are instituted in each district, but the rulers in the Capitol have strict control over everything and everyone in each district. Each district has its own specialty that benefits the Capitol, such as coal mining, agriculture, seafood, etc. Some districts provide the Capitol with energy or material goods and some provide the manpower to keep those in the Capitol in power. The people who live in the Capitol contribute little to their own sustenance and are concerned mainly with the latest fashions and amusements. The Hunger Games are an annual tradition directed by the Capitol rulers, not only to amuse the citizens  but also to preserve control over the districts by demonstrating the Capitols dominance. Each year, the twelve districts must send two representatives, a girl and a boy, to participate in the Hunger Games. These representatives are called â€Å"tributes† to make people believe that representing their district is an honor, even though each person lives in fear that someone they love will be chosen. And the entire nation must watch as these 24 tributes battle each other to the death until only one is left as the victor. Having a victor is important to a district - extra food and a few luxuries will be granted to the winners district. The government has created the ultimate reality show, complete with technological challenges and constant monitoring of the movements of the participants. Each citizen is required to watch the Games until their conclusion, which may take hours or days. Summary of the  Story Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen has been providing for her family since her father’s death in a mining accident. She has done this by illegally hunting beyond the boundaries of District 12 and using the game she kills for food or for barter. Through her skill with a bow and her ability to track and snare rabbits and squirrels, her family has been able to survive. They have also survived because Katniss signs up for the tessera, a ration of grain that is given in exchange for placing your name in the lottery for the reaping, the ceremony that determines who will be the district’s representative in the Games. Everyone’s name goes in the lottery from the time they reach the age of 12 until they turn 18. Each time Katniss exchanges her name for the tessera, her chances of being the one whose name is called increase. Only it isn’t her name that is called it is her sister’s. Prim Everdeen is the one person that Katniss loves above all others. She is only 12, quiet, loving and on her way to being a healer. She would not be able to survive the reaping and Katniss knows this. When Prim’s name is called, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place as a tribute from District 12 to the Hunger Games. Katniss knows that it is not only her own life on the line in the games, but that others will benefit as well if she is the victor and her skills as a hunter will give her an edge in the Games. But her life as a tribute becomes more complicated by the other tribute from District 12. Peeta Mellark, the baker’s son, is a boy that Katniss owes a favor because of a kindness that he showed her when she was most desperate and her family’s survival was at stake. And Katniss knows that now her survival will mean his death. Katniss is whisked away from her family and Gale, her best friend and hunting partner, to the Capitol, where she is prepped and primped to participate in the Games. She and Peeta are to be mentored by Haymitch, the only tribute that District 12 has had who was a winner of the Games. But Haymitch is a reluctant and seemingly inadequate mentor, so Katniss realizes she must rely on her own strengths in order to survive. As the first book of the trilogy, The Hunger Games is compelling reading and makes the reader want to read the next book immediately to find out what happens to Katniss and Peeta. Katniss is a strong character who solves her own problems and takes charge of her own life. Her struggles with her divided affections between two boys are realistically portrayed but not overwrought. And her tendency to inadvertently create problems can spark many conversations about whether she was right or wrong and whether she stayed true to who she is. Katniss is a character that readers will not soon forget. About the Author, Suzanne Collins With the Hunger Games trilogy, Suzanne Collins, award-winning author of the Underland Chronicles, brings her talents to a new trilogy aimed at a more mature audience than her books about Gregor, the Overlander. Collins was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2010, an honor that was based on the popularity of the first two books in the Hunger Games trilogy. In its popularity and impact, the trilogy has been compared to other popular fantasy novels for young people, such as the Twilight series and the Harry Potter series. Collins’ experience as a television writer enables her to create stories that appeal to tweens and teens. Suzanne Collins also wrote the screenplay for the movie adaptations of The Hunger Games. Review and Recommendation The Hunger Games will appeal to teens, ages 13 and up. The 384-page book contains violence and strong emotions so younger tweens may find it disturbing. The writing is excellent and the plot propels the reader through the book at a rapid rate. This book has been chosen by Kansas State University to be given to all of the incoming freshmen to read so that they will all be able to discuss it throughout the campus and in their classes. It has also become assigned reading in many high schools. The book is rich in discussion points not only about governments, personal freedom, and sacrifice but also about what it means to be yourself and not submit to society’s expectations. For information on challenges to the book, see The Hunger Games Trilogy. (Scholastic Press, 2008. ISBN: 9780439023481) Edited March 5, 2016 by Elizabeth Kennedy Disclosure: A review copy was provided by the publisher. For more information, please see our  Ethics Policy.