Spreadsheets in the Classroom

It is a bit ironic that this is a topic of our class right now because over the last year or so, requiring the use of spreadsheets in the classroom (particularly third grade) has been an ongoing area of disagreement.  Our district has been looking at the technology standards and what activities are currently being done within our curriculum.  We are then going to look at the gaps and fill them in with activities that integrate technology into the curriculum.  Expecting third grade students to master the skill of using a spreadsheet is one that I don't necessarily agree with.  I know that more often than not, when students need to make and use a graph or set of data, it will be with computer software, however, I still think that there is a need for them to master using paper/pencil graphs and charts first.  Having to take the extra steps to organize, plan, and construct helps them understand the concept and process more than often comes with using software programs to do so.  This includes spreadsheets.  I can see how I could use a spreadsheet to have students look at going shopping on a budget.  But I would want them to be responsible for computing the math themselves, not just using the tools from the program.  I have also thought about having the students use a spreadsheet to fill in their reading calendars and even to set one up for the summer months.  As an adult myself, I don't finding myself using spreadsheets all that often, which is probably one of the driving factors to why I don't see it as one of the more necessary skills for my students to posses at this time in their lives.  With the amount of time that I am able to get into our school labs, working on spreadsheets falls far down the list.

Having High, but Reasonable, Expectations

There were several components of this week's class that I am interested in adding to my curriculum plans. Using online word processing tools are one of the biggest interests that I have.  My interest with incorporating this started when I was introduced to GoogleDocs during our first course, and after this past week, I am even more interested in trying to make it work.  My main concern with this is how to facilitate this, since a log-in is required for these tools and programs to work.  And as much as I am excited to get my kids started with this experience, I have to play "devil's advocate" and say that I have some concerns.  My biggest concern has to be with the fact that it isn't realistic or fair for me to expect all of my students and families to have a home computer with internet access.  Each year there are a few families in our grade that don't have these things available to them for instant or quick access.  I also don't think that it is fair to expect them to go to the library or other access site to do a home practice activity or other assigned task.  I hope that I will be able to sort out some of these conflicts as I develop ways to use them more clearly and define the objectives, as well as what options there are for students who may have access difficulties. 

Onto The Next...

As the start of a new class is upon us, I am refreshed and ready to dive into the new material.  I enjoy using technology with my students and being able to introduce and expose them to new experiences and opportunities for learning with technology.  However, since my kiddos are quite young and their experience with technology covers a huge range, it can be a bit intimidating to take on these type of activities and projects.  Right now, our school is looking at how technology can be integrated into science and social studies as we evaluate and redo the curriculum plans for those subject areas.  We have come up with some awesome ideas, now it just sitting down and getting the details and expectations worked out. 

I can think of numerous ways to integrate the tools that we looked at for creating graphics and developing presentations.  I am planning on taking a lot of time this summer to integrate a presentation program that was introduced by Kristy into reading activities that focus on characters and their traits or the story elements, along with others that come up throughout this course.

So Long, Farewell...

While I am appreciative to have had the experiences that this class offered, I cannot say that I will miss the pressures and anxiety of being so outside my comfort zone when it came to technology.  The amount of new vocabulary was the biggest cause for frustration because without it, you couldn't completely understand the concepts, but because there were so many new words, simply understanding their meanings became the primary focus. 

I am sure that in time some of the material will resurface and I will be able to pull from my background knowledge, created by this course. 

Back It Up!

There was a lot of new information that I got out of last week's class.  While  I was always aware of anti-virus software and the need for it, I don't know that I gave it the attention and appreciation that it deserved.  Back when I used a PC laptop, my understanding of what my responsibilities were for keeping my equipment safe and secure was very naive.  I had Norton Anti-Virus software installed on my computer and ran it weekly, and even had spyware software installed.  However, I don't think that I really understood what my responsibilities were, after the software had run and done it's job.  I absolutely have a better understanding of what my role is in keeping my computer protected and how that is supposed to work.

The one piece of information that I am really implementing into my life, effective immediately, are my backup procedures.  I have been doing a much better job backing up my documents and files on an external hard drive on a more regular schedule, as well as using an online storage service (Dropbox).  Using Dropbox has provided me with a huge sense of comfort, knowing that I can simply drag a document into the folder and the cloud technologies allow me to access that document instantly on any other computer that has Dropbox downloaded or has access to the Internet, so that I can log on to my account.  I am very grateful to have learned about these topics in more detail and at a time in my life where I can appreciate them and understand the impact of losing certain material.

A Mixed Bag...

Right now my feelings toward this class are quite mixed.  My comfort with technology has always been strong, just as long as the conversation didn't get too technical.  Well, guess what?  It got technical!  When the conversation turns from how to use it, to how it works, my stomach churns a little.  I have always learned as much as I could about the "how to use it" but shied away from learning too much about how the technology worked.  I want to clarify that this isn't because I don't want to know the specifics of how to the tools that I love using actually work, but more so because just becoming confident in using them is a process in itself.  Learning the components of a tool or piece of software, options I have with each, how to implement it in my class, is it a teacher tool, student/teacher tool, or a student tool, and countless other questions, plus the other day-to-day thoughts and concerns with my students and lessons.  I welcome the chance to learn more about the bones of the tools that I have come to love to use in my teaching, but also overwhelmed with the amount of new information that is constantly pouring into my brain.

The virus investigation was interesting for me because I am a Mac user who has been one of those people who thought, "it's a Mac, it can't get a virus."  It was shocking to see how many antivirus programs are out there for a computer that is pretty safe when it comes to viruses.   I also feel more knowledgeable when it comes to the amount of virus protection options there are for PC's, should we chose to purchase a PC the next time we are in the market.  Norton has always been the protection of choice, but looking back on it, mostly due to the lack of knowledge on other products and simply trusting the product without doing much additional research on quality, performance, or other options.

Back In The Day...

My memories of using computers in school don't appear until my 5th grade year.  Even then, the only true memory I have of using computers was when we would use KidPix software and create magical works of art on the screen (and of course, follow it up with the "KABOOM!" of the dynamite clearing tool).  Middle school is much of the same.  One research project comes to mind were we got to experience the new and innovative "Encrata" encyclopedia.  And of course, you can't forget the great "Oregon Trail" program.  That was the highlight of the 6th grade social studies curriculum.

When I was in 9th grade, my family got our very first computer.  It was quite the treat.  Again, I am very fuzzy on any of the specifics of the machine, other than it being a PC and that dial-up Internet brought the World Wide Web into our house.  Even through high school, there it doesn't seem that computers were used for much other than word processing and simplistic research.  Before I went to college in 2001, I got my own Dell desktop computer.  It was a great computer and I had very few problems with it until the 5th year I owned it.  By that time I was nearing the end of my college career and decided to move on to smaller and better.  My next computer was an HP laptop.  This machine was very dependable and served me well for many years and was my sidekick during two online courses (2000 and 2008).  Now knowing more about maintaining technology, it has become apparent that the lack of updating and other maintenance could have been much better and would have resulted in my computer(s) working better and longer.  My school district is a Mac school, so in the classroom and labs we have iMacs and several of the staff members (including myself) were given MacBooks to use.  With all the changes technology goes through, one can only guess at what comes next.