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http://www.androidauthority.com/best-android-apps-learning-spanish-96464/

http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/using-mobile-learning-resources-foreign-language-instruction

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Reading Response

#Math that Moves: Schools Embrace the iPad #Response Enid Rodriguez

I liked the article from the NY Times about the iPads in schools; because anything that will enhance learning is always a plus. I really feel that technology in schools is amazing but there is always a problem with it. In some of the schools I have taught at I have seen iPads on teacher’s desks not being used, and this is sad because lots of money is wasted. Another problem that classroom teachers face is that the principals can only purchase a certain amount of iPads, and many teachers have to share the iPads. I think Apple should lower their prices for schools or more grants should be made available. In my last public school teachers only used their devices for a program called ‘Confer’, and they complained that there was no service in the school most of the time; so children or teachers could not access certain programs.

Yes! I feel technology in the classroom is important, but everything must be in place, or it is just wasted money that can be used for other important resources the teachers need. The price of the iPads: $750.00 is a lot of money per iPad to spend on schools that have many students. Perhaps the government needs to spend on teacher training, materials, and other resources first; including Wi-Fi, so that the technology will really work and students will engage in lots of learning.

With our generous grant, our school in Brooklyn is purchasing iPads for our new STEM program and the iPads will be shared so that all classroom teachers will have access, but our school is first getting the Wi-Fi taken care of; as we currently do not have service in the school. I hope that just like the teachers and students utilize the Smart Boards, that they will also engage the students in using the iPads and laptops. We are using the grant for the Wi-Fi, state of the art STEM Lab, iPads, laptops, and other resources needed for the program to work; but most important for the technology to be in place.

As Assistant Principal, I am a bit old school so I would not get rid of the beautiful textbooks, literature books, or magazines we currently use, but I do think the iPads will be a great supplement to the learning in my school for all 200+ students.

I also agree with Cathie Norris, the technology professor from the University of North Texas, where she states that smartphones can be utilized instead of expensive iPads; because many schools can’t afford iPads. In addition I think that assessing students that learn with textbooks vs. technology devices is a great idea; in order to compare the learning, as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt states in the article.

Kids Wearable to help them keep active!

I interviewed a college student and a middle school student. Had to put on you tube...had trouble the other way.

Week 6- Mobile Learning Games

Week#6 Mobile Games for Learning Response Enid Rodriguez

This week we read articles about Mobile Games for Learning and I particularly liked the Savannah article.

I think teachers should be able to incorporate learning through various ways; including playing games on a mobile device. Students love playing video games and when schools allow games to be played to supplement lesson plans; learning is bound to happen. In order for this to happen though, schools need to provide laptops or tablets or any mobile devices to classrooms, then groups of students can use the devices to play games that will help teach them the material that needs to be mastered. The games need to be interesting and engaging, because then the students will stay focused, work together, and have fun; while learning the material being taught.

If students can work collaboratively, use various strategies, and think critically together, they can accomplish the levels in the games being played. They can discuss, explain, and get feedback from each other about the game and how it is played.

If schools provide the proper devices to schools, teachers will be able to utilize the devices during the lessons being taught. Students in the article had a lot to share about what they liked and what were some obstacles, and this can help engage the students in discussion. This is what common core is all about, getting the students to initiate the learning, enter into discussion with each other, find solutions to obstacles, help one another, and have a good time playing and learning.

I also feel the games need to have differentiation and levels, because not all students learn the same way or in the same pace. The same way teachers are expected to differentiate in our lessons, anything introduced to supplement learning a subject should have differentiation; in this case playing mobile games.

In my Spanish classes, I have to provide various websites for all the different age groups and levels, because the students are learning at a different level. For example, the students are learning about food in Spanish, and there are various programs that have games the kids can play to learn the different foods, and each time they master the vocabulary, the material gets more difficult. The games are fun and engaging. Some of the apps the kids use at home and at school are:

http://studycat.net/apps/fun-spanish/

http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/adventure/spanish2.htm#

Unfortunately our school does not have tablets or laptops yet, but we do use Smart Boards for games. In the next coming months we will be getting Wi-Fi, tablets and laptops, so the teachers are hoping to integrate more technology in their lessons; including playing games on the mobile devices.

#Week5 Response Mobile Tech

Mobile Tech/Political Dissent Week #5 Response Enid Rodriguez

This week I have to admit two of the articles were a bit confusing and not appealing. When it comes to privacy and computers, it is sad what so many people have to face when your privacy is invaded. Recently a friend’s account was affected and someone took all her pics and created a fake account which I think is so horrible for anyone to go through. Even after reporting it, it happened again. This is very common when using Facebook or Instagram. When posting so many things on social media, we must all be careful, because our privacy can be affected in many ways that are worse that just creating a fake account. When it comes to others who might be monitoring us, this can be quite unsettling too…

The video clip also was a bit confusing and watching it gave me a headache as I watched the hand move so fast; writing everything the man was saying! I did understand what he was trying to convey, but I felt lost after a few minutes, that I had to watch it again.

The article on North Africa was interesting and I was also shocked at how a country can control how much television and internet a country can have access to. Personally I really do not like what is happening with so much technology and how information is being shared via so many options of media. Am I a techno optimist or pessimist? :/

I liked the article on Techno-optimism because I had read an article about this a while back and we had to answer which do we fall on Techno Optimist or Pessimist? I fall in between because I feel technology has affected our lives in many great ways, but at the same time has done harm in other areas. I feel for the most part that it has increased communication worldwide, but when you observe people in restaurants, family gatherings, parks, and funerals …everyone is connected to their mobile devices; thus ignoring all their surroundings.. I think it makes people less aware of the world around them.

Yes, technological advancement has changed our lives completely, and not always in a good way. Fortunately, there are many people focused on securing our networked technology and police officers as well as trained hacking and computer programming experts’ work to provide safe and secure technology to the masses. New technology in computer forensics has even opened up the world of police investigations, as personal computers, cell phones, and other portable electronic devices can now be searched in an effort to reliably solve crimes that seem to have little other evidence (© 2009 - 2014 www.centertech.org).

Our kids today! lol

Elements ELEMENTS FEBRUARY 6, 2014 As Technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse? Tim Wu

NO PRIVACY!

Loved this article about the future of Mobile Devices! Enjoy! :)

Tag you are it! Now it's your turn to share a teaching activity with me."

melyssawithay88

Reading Responses Week 4

Enid Rodriguez #readingresponse #session04 #mobilelearning

This week’s articles were very interesting about technology in the classroom.

Ipod in Education: The Potential for Teaching and Learning

Education has come a long way and will be changing a great deal in the near future; with the use of more varied mobile devices in our classrooms. In this article by Pasnik, Ipods were discussed and its importance in helping teachers and their students. Ipods are a great tool to have in our classrooms, but again it comes down to schools providing training to teachers and students, having enough Ipods for all students, and continued support and updates on software and devices.

The idea of “learning on the on the go” and “its fit-in-your-pocket” portability is great and students are very knowledgeable about so many devices, and they can work and learn together with their peers (Pasnik, 2007). Since differentiated learning is so important for student learning, I also like the idea of Ipods providing support for all multiple intelligences. Students who need lessons repeated or if the teacher speaks too fast, students using an Ipod can replay a lesson, listen to the information again, and repeat if necessary. This can personalize the lesson for each student. Ipods can work if all proper measures are taken, but to have them in some classrooms or some schools without the support, training, or updates, it will be another device that will not be utilized correctly.

Designing Mobile Communication Tools: A Framework to Enhance Motivation in Online Learning Environment

This article also discusses all the positives having mobile devices in a classroom, enhancing motivation, and using the ARCS model. I agree that students need to be motivated and should be fully engaged in all lessons. Since students enjoy mobile devices, they can be motivated to learn using mobile devices in their classrooms; however I feel with young children this has to be monitored in the classroom. Younger children tend to lose focus without devices that I can imagine lessons on a daily basis using any mobile device. With older students, using mobile devices is probably easier for the students to stay on task, but also need to be monitored as well.

All students need to be motivated to stay on task, stay focused and interested and be able to complete all work, in an engaged manner. The lessons need to be interesting and engaging where they can collaborate with their peers. Using the ARCS model for motivation is a great idea, but it also depends on what types of lessons are being taught.

Use of Mobile Technology for Teacher Training

The use of PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) can be beneficial for some people but in this study, I feel many of the participants did not take part in it the right way and many lost interest in the use of the PDA. The use of PDAs for some teachers differed and most prefer to use for attendance, behavior monitoring, diary, and observation of lessons; and not for what the study was researching on.

In my previous school, teachers were given the devices and disliked using them. They felt it took too long to input data, were too small to read, and they accomplished more on a regular computer or simply preferred writing data, than using a PDA. They lost interest because they felt stress from all the other paperwork the DOE requires them to do, and PDAs were not feasible. The school discontinued the pilot program, and decided on IPADs for all teachers to collect and input all student data on them, for student use, and many other great features that a PDA could not provide. They also use a program called ‘confer’ to keep all student observation notes and lesson plans.

Technology in the classroom! Comfy too :)

Great article on why Technology is important in our classrooms!

http://www.securedgenetworks.com/strategy-blog/10-Reasons-Today-s-Students-NEED-Technology-in-the-Classroom

Mobile devices to enhance reading and learning! :)

Technology can empower children in developing countries but it isn't enough to simply provide the hardware - training, maintenance and suitability must all be planned for. Photograph: Michael Prince/ Michael Prince/Corbis

#Week 3 Reading Response Constructionism & 1:1 Computing

Situated Constructionism

Constructionism means to self- construct the knowledge. In this article, the author, Papert reflects on how he could envision classrooms where students are ‘doing’, instead of just being instructed. It is like the teacher being the facilitator and the students take charge of their own learning. Making meaning and creating is what the author would like to see, as in the example of the art in the classroom; kids were working together creatively. Papert states that constructionist activity-which integrates math with art, and the children make the software- enhances the effectiveness of instruction given by a teacher in the same topic. My feeling is that if teachers are trained to include technology, and are able to integrate with the curriculum, then students will learn so much more.

In the end he sees situated learning is great for making meaning; as in the case of the science and math class. Papert uses the soap sculpture and math to show how learning by making was observed. In my own teaching experiences, I do observe how children learn more when they are given the opportunity to make meaning, by being able to choose the materials, make decisions, work creatively with other peers, and have their own strategies, and learning occurs. The teacher facilitates and allows the students to take charge of their learning: Constructionism.

The One on One Computing Initiatives article was interesting and it discussed the benefits of one on one computing. Many of the schools where I have taught at have computers but unfortunately do not work properly, are outdated, or the school lacks internet service. Another issue the schools face is that they lack computers, tablets, and or lap tops for each student. Children do go to the computer lab once per week, but this is not enough technology exposure for the students.

Researchers have long argued that for technology to make a powerful difference in student learning, students must be able to use computers more than once or twice per week in a lab at school (Penuel, 2006).

If our students are to get ahead and be tech savvy, then there needs to be improvements in our schools. In the article, it talks about children taking devices home and I happen to disagree with this because what happens to the kids that lose them, break them, or if the house holds lack Wi-Fi or internet service. In order for this ‘one on one’ initiative to work, everything needs to be in place: teachers need training, students need training, have working computers / lap tops for students, updated software, and Wi-Fi available. Each student should also have access to a lap top so they are all given the same opportunities.

As a teacher that has been frustrated with the computers in my previous school, it was easier to just teach the class without technology, as the computers never had service and the kids would get bored easily waiting for the connection.

For classrooms using wireless networks, the reliability of the network is frequently an issue and a barrier to widespread use by teachers for instruction (Penuel, 2006).

One Laptop per child

After reading the first few paragraphs, and watching Negroponte’s video, the idea of one lap top per child seemed great, but as I continued reading, I had a different point of view. Every child deserves to have their own laptop to help them learn, but if their basic needs are not being met, then lap tops are pointless. What good is having a lap top in these developing countries if there are other important things that the money can be used for; like schools, books, clean water, food etc…?

I feel the money should be utilized correctly and if the needs of these children are met, then one on one lap tops can be implemented. The article also states how many of the countries have issues using the lap tops, and the percentages of lap top use keep dropping. According to Mark Warschauer, a Professor of University of California, pointed out that laptop by itself does not completely fill the need of students in under privileged countries (Wikipedia).

In order for children to use laptops such as these, there needs to be teacher training, support for all tech issues, laptop repairs, and be able to connect the laptop work with the classroom curriculum. You just can’t give laptops out and walk away, and expect students to take charge. They need support throughout the use and guidance as to what they are to do.

Many of these countries are wasting money on the laptops, because as one country representative stated from Peru, 40% do not use, and in Alabama 80.3% of the students say they never use the laptops. So all the money wasted can be utilized for better things to include better schools, health instruction, teacher training, good working laptops or computers, updated software, and support for when problems do arise. When things are done correctly, then perhaps these countries can take part in implementing ‘One Laptop per Child’ programs that can teach the children to read; as Negroponte stated in his video.