Summary of Week 10: Free and Open Resources

Thank you all for the thoughtful responses! :)

1. A definition of an open source can be found on the Open Source Initiative Homepage. What open resources (if any) have you used in your classroom? If you do not have your own classroom, have you witnessed open resources being used?
There were several examples of open resources being used: wikipedia, firefox, blog, Lesson Planz, and several lesson plan pages where teachers can share ideas and collaborate.

2. Under The Free Software Definition on the GNU Operating System website it says that “A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. Thus, you [should] be free to redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to anyone anywhere. Being free to do these things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay for permission.” Thinking about the word [should], what types of problems do you think can occur when copying/redistributing information?
We had some thoughtful responses to this question. One of the topics that came up is who gets the "glory" for the end result? We agreed that with so many people working on the projects its hard to figure out where it originated. That is also where the idea that citing sources and awknowledging all participants comes along. I think we can all agree that although some open resources require no "citing" it is important to do so in all of your work.

3. The article written by Sally Johnstone, Open Educational Resources Serve the World, states that “A major reason for sharing resources created for local communities is individuals’ desire to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. Other reasons relate to institutional goals and benefits.” In your own experience, what is the reasoning for using an open resource? Was it to help out those that are less fortunate within your school or community? Or was the source you used a great source that just happened to be an open resource?
A lot of people that responded to this stated that they have used open resources/saw open resources being used in the classroom. Some of you didn't even realize that some of the resources that you were using were considered an "open resource" but that you would continue to use them. Amy and a couple others said they used open resources for the basic fact that they were a great resource- like a great youtube clip, etc.

4. The same article written by S. Johnstone talks about the “Connexions” project, which was created by Richard Baraniuk and his colleagues at Rice University. Do you find any of the Connexion material modules for secondary-school teachers useful? Could you use these modules in your own teaching? Why or why not?
Most of the people responding to this question felt that the modules could be very useful. Theresa brought up the idea that they would be very beneficial for even elementary teachers as it would be great to have a place to share lessons and ideas. Most people agreed in that having a place for teachers to go and share information would be wonderul and they would use the modules if available. Most agreed that it is always great when teachers are sharing and collaborating.

5. The essay written by Nikola Bezroukov titled Open Source SoftwareDevelopment as a Special Type of Academic Research (Critique of VulgarRaymondism) was written to "...forewarn open source developers about theproblems of working on open source projects, and reduce some of thefrustrations." What problems did Bezroukov discuss? Do you agree with him,or do you feel that he was too critical about open sources?
Several of you agreed that there are "problems" with open resources that still need to be worked out, but that they should not be taken away because they are still very beneficial. Gretchan stated that just like any other internet source, free and open resources has glitches, but they can be worked out. We agree that there are glitches and problems that can occur- but like any internet source they can be worked out.

Week 11 What is eLearning?

Here are the questions for this week. Don't feel that you have to answer them all. If you have any questions feel free to ask:

1. Based on the articles you read, what is your definition of eLearning? Have you seen eLearning used in the educational setting and if so how?

2. What are some benefits of eLearning? What are some disadvantages of eLearning?

3. What are some examples of eLearning and would you use eLearning in your classroom?

4. After exploring the eLearning for kids website under tidbits on our schedule do you think this is a useful tool to use in the classroom? If so how would you use it and are there any specific courses your viewed that you thought you might consider using?

5. What do you think of the free education that is portrayed in the article "Get and MIT or Yail Education Free" from under tidbits? Are there any benefits of this for professors and/or students?

6. After exploring the Adobe eLearning site with its tools and related video what do you think the implications of eLearning are for higher education?

7. After exploring the eLearning showcase under tidbits and looking at some examples of eLearning do you think that these could be useful tools for higher education? Pick one and explain how it could be used?

Free and Open Educational Resources

Here are the questions for this weeks discussions! Hopefully we all have a better idea now what exactly a "free/open resource is."

1. A definition of an open source can be found on the Open Source Initiative Homepage. What open resources (if any) have you used in your classroom? If you do not have your own classroom, have you witnessed open resources being used?

2. Under The Free Software Definition on the GNU Operating System website it says that “A program is free software if users have all of these freedoms. Thus, you [should] be free to redistribute copies, either with or without modifications, either gratis or charging a fee for distribution, to anyone anywhere. Being free to do these things means (among other things) that you do not have to ask or pay for permission.” Thinking about the word [should], what types of problems do you think can occur when copying/redistributing information?

3. The article written by Sally Johnstone, Open Educational Resources Serve the World, states that “A major reason for sharing resources created for local communities is individuals’ desire to make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate. Other reasons relate to institutional goals and benefits.” In your own experience, what is the reasoning for using an open resource? Was it to help out those that are less fortunate within your school or community? Or was the source you used a great source that just happened to be an open resource?

4. The same article written by S. Johnstone talks about the “Connexions” project, which was created by Richard Baraniuk and his colleagues at Rice University. Do you find any of the Connexion material modules for secondary-school teachers useful? Could you use these modules in your own teaching? Why or why not?

5. The essay written by Nikola Bezroukov titled Open Source SoftwareDevelopment as a Special Type of Academic Research (Critique of VulgarRaymondism) was written to "...forewarn open source developers about theproblems of working on open source projects, and reduce some of thefrustrations." What problems did Bezroukov discuss? Do you agree with him,or do you feel that he was too critical about open sources?

Tuesday October 21, 2008 Week 8 By neal Prince

Week 8 Summary by Neal Prince

Thank You everyone for this weeks postings. This weeks readings were difficult in terms of the topic "open sources". It is a term that is new to me as well as everyone that read the assignment and has blogged. It seems to me that everyone agrees that open sources is not applicable to work with in a K-12 setting. I agree with Lori and Theresa in saying that as educators using open sources even as as project can be quite difficult. If open sources are to be used to create software, a teacher that is up-to-date on his/her technology would seem lost. As Lori, Cori, Theresa and others have pointed out, open sources seem to be for computer engineers and whiz kids. as far as public edu K-12 we are not there yet. Speaking of public education(K-12), is a district going to invest in open software with so much uncertainty? Have the bugs and kinks been hammered out to prevent crashing and constant failing? Almost all of you saw more negatives than positives when dealing with open software. I agree with the majority in saying there is just too many negatives when it comes to open software. One of the negatives as Kathryn has pointed out is that in an open source everyone gets to contribute to the project or the creation of software. The"Community infrastructure is the particular licensing strategy for the Project" as Kapor cites. This is very uneasy for me because I feel that anyone that would like to contribute to the project has to be trained which takes time, effort and patients on both sides of the party. Open sources is a totally new concept to me as well as others. I don't see open sources being talked about and practiced on a wide scale for a long time. There are just too many uncertainty's that comes with this concept.

Here are the questions for this weeks blog. Remember you don't have to answer all questions.

1. According to Mitchell Kapor, what is open source software? Give some examples that Kapor describes in his article.
2. What are some positives and negatives of an open source project?
3. If you were to consider an open source project what will be some important questions you would like to know? Do you find your questions similar to Kapor’s? How?
4. In Brad Wheeler’s article Open Source 2007, he states that they are two scenarios: #1 Open source becomes mainstream and #2 few open source application matter. After reading both scenarios which view do you agree with? Why?
5. After reading Kapor’s and Wheelers articles, do you see open source in public schools in the near future? What are the negatives? What are the positives, if any?

Week 7 Summary/ Presentation By: Corey Hayden and Cristine Cowan

1.)Think about what you are doing in the classroom with your students: What projects are they working on? What resources are they using? What tools are being used? Is technology use transparent and varied?

-very few people responded to this question, actually only one of you did. Audrey said that in her school and in her class (1st grade) very little if any technology is being integrated. Her room looks more like an art room than anything else.

2.) Many teachers have started to experiment with blogs. How could you use blogs in your classroom?

- 5 people touched on this question in their posts. Most people feel that incorporating a blog into the classroom could be very beneficial for teachers, parents and students. Lori said that having a blog could eliminate possible excuses such as "my dog ate it". Also many of you feel that a possible "online journal" could be an effective use of the blog. Overall, we feel that blogging could be a positive thing.

3/4.) In the articles A ”Fantastic Super” Use of Technology: Closing the Digital Divide, and Sherman Oaks School: Seamless Integration of Technology examples are given on how to integrate technology into the curriculum. How could you use these ideas to integrate technology into the classroom?

Do you agree or disagree with the statement, technology integration is important? Provide examples why you agree or disagree.

- About 5 people commented on these two questions, however, most of the questions deal with technology in one way or another, so these questions are quite broad. There is pretty much a consensus that integrating technology into classrooms is very important. our world is changing, and in order for teachers and students to "keep up" we need to stay current and learn the new technologies of the day such as blogging and emailing... Gretchen says that the more technology that is used, the more fun is had by all

5.) There are plenty of examples of how various electronic media can help students achieve more. This can be seen most dramatically in the ways that assistive technologies empower students with disabilities, allowing them to contribute in ways never before possible. What technological opportunities can you provide students with disabilities?

- No one posted on this particular question, so maybe next time we could tak more about ways to incorporate technology into teaching our learning disabled students...

6.) At Mary Scroggs Elementary and Sherman Oaks, the “teachers are treated like professionals”. Explain the importance of teacher morale in the education process. Also explain the benefits/downfalls of teacher collaboration within a school/community.

- Four of you posted on teacher morale/collaboration. The consensus seems to be that a happy, much appreciated teacher is going to be an effective teacher. And an unhappy, underappreciated teacher is going to be much less effective. Those of you who posted feel as though teacher collaboration is also very important. Letting each other know what is going on in class or with a particular student can be very helpful for teachers throughout the day. Collaborating with other teachers is also important so that students do not get overloaded. many of you said that teacher collaboration in your own personal experiences has benn nothing but helpful..

7.) When integrating technology into the classroom, is there a grade level/age at which time the use of computers is too advanced? Why might other methods be appropriate?

- Heather and Theresa agree that technology integration has no bounds. They feel as though using computers at a very young age is appropriate even as young as 2-3 yrs old. Building for the future is one of the primary justifications for incorporating technology into younger childrens lives. Lauren, however, feels as though computers should be introduced around second or third grade. Before then, she thinks that students should be learning the "basics" so that when it is time to use more technology, they will be that much more prepared. So there is mixed feelings about this question. It could certainly be seen both ways, some want to use the technology at a young age, others feel it is best to wait...

8.) At Sherman Oaks School, Email has been one of the aspects that has changed the way the school functions. In your experience in the classroom, how has the use of email made life easier on educators? Explain your answer.

-Just about everyone had something to say about the use of e-mail within schools, and just about everyone was all for it. The use of email makes things easier on parents, teachers and students alike. Teachers can email home without having to worry about sending a note with the student, teachers can email amongst each other to plan projects or give updats on students or meetings. Using email also eliminates a lot or paper usage, and wasted time trying to hook up with a parent or administrator over the phone. Amy does raise a good point on the possible downfalss of using email. Teachers could be irresponsilbe and waste class time emailing friends. Therefore, the consensus seems to be that if used appropriately by teachers and students alike, Email is a very benficial and useful tool to implement into schools and classrooms...

Week 7

Here are this week’s blog questions.  Please let us know if you have any problems.  Have a good week.

 

1. Think about what you are doing in the classroom with your students: What projects are they working on?  What resources are they using?  What tools are being used?  Is technology use transparent and varied?

 

2. Many teachers have started to experiment with blogs.  How could you use blogs in your classroom?

 

3. In the articles A ”Fantastic Super” Use of Technology: Closing the Digital Divide, and Sherman Oaks School: Seamless Integration of Technology examples are given on how to integrate technology into the curriculum.  How could you use these ideas to integrate technology into the classroom?

 

4. Do you agree or disagree with the statement, technology integration is important?  Provide examples why you agree or disagree.

 

5. There are plenty of examples of how various electronic media can help students achieve more.  This can be seen most dramatically in the ways that assistive technologies empower students with disabilities, allowing them to contribute in ways never before possible.  What technological opportunities can you provide students with disabilities?

 

6. At Mary Scroggs Elementary and Sherman Oaks, the “teachers are treated like professionals”.  Explain the importance of teacher morale in the education process.  Also explain the benefits/downfalls of teacher collaboration within a school/community.

 

7. When integrating technology into the classroom, is there a grade level/age at which time the use of computers is too advanced?  Why might other methods be appropriate?

 

8. At Sherman Oaks School, Email has been one of the aspects that has changed the way the school functions. In your experience in the classroom, how has the use of email made life easier on educators?  Explain your answer.

Week 6 Summary

I would like to first thank everyone for their wonderful posts! Everyone had some really interesting and important information to share, it was nice to read!

Here are the questions, and some key points that were brought up for each of the questions.

1. Describe ways in which you can become "digitally literate." Describe ways your classroom can become "digitally literate."

Everyone believes that their students should become digital literate because that is the direction that the world as a whole, and the world of education is headed.

Being digital literate also allows the teacher to reach more students because they can now access multiple learning styles to help the students be more successful.

There are many teachers who do not know how to use the technology that is available and thus, they are not educating their students.

Another factor is that technology is always evolving, and it is difficult to stay current.

2. According to the video: "Web 2.0...The Machine is Us/ing Us Part 2," virtual reality is a likely outcome of the participatory Internet. Do you agree? Why or why not?

Is the virtual world something that we really want, how is it possible?

This is about people sharing, trading, and collaborating (Google search) and helping each other progress in a forward direction

3. Do you think it is important for students to be assessed on their "technological literacy?" What about students that are "being left behind?" Do you think it is fair to assess students on their technological skills when some can't even read at grade level?

Problems with assessing technological literacy are the money to get the technology and the education of the technology to use it in the classroom.

Everyone agrees that it is important to become technological literate.

Those who are in the lower income are in a rut because they don't have the money to move forward, and they don't have the resources to progress forward.

Should be taught, but should not be part of assessment because it adds one more to an extensive list that students are struggling with in order to be successful.

The older generation of teachers are left behind because they don't have the training of the technology.

Not everyone has access to the Internet or to other technology while at home, which puts them behind other students who have the money to have the technology and be successful.

4. According to the summary of findings of "Teens and Technology," teens seem to use the Internet for personal reasons such as talking with friends, playing games, but they are not using the computer for educational purposes. Will incorporating computers into lessons really keep students engaged? Do you think they will be engaged in the lesson simply because it is different from using the textbook and worksheets? Or do you think they will eventually become less engaged in the lesson because they are using the computer for "school work" not for playing games and talking with friends?

Teachers should know and monitor what their students are doing so that they stay on task and do not go to places on the Internet that are inappropriate.

Using the Internet takes away from the stigma of learning through books/worksheets.

Using technology also incorporates different learning styles and thus reaching more students than one teaching style.

5. How has technology in the classroom changed since you have graduated from high school? What are the positive and negative effects of these changes on education and learning?

Did not use to have computers and photocopiers; but did have ditto machines, and electric typewriters.

Technology has benefited students because it opens the world up and all the possibilities for students.

Over the years, technology has improved significantly. We now have smart carts (DVD, VHS, voice recording, etc.); ELMO; Smart Boards; computer labs; Blackboard

Technology is always evolving, even in the past four years.

Teachers are relying on home usage of technology more and more.

Technology is appealing to visual learners.


Again, I would like to thank everyone for contributing to the discussions! Everyone did a great job!!!