Connecting the Dots

Many schools are interested in having technology in the classroom, but only some  have actually committed to using it. In 2012 the education director of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)  noticed that  96% of 15-year-old students in OECD countries said  they had access to a computer at home. However 72% reported that they use a desktop, laptop, or tablet  at school. Some countries even had fewer than 1 in 2 students report they had access to a computer or some sort of electronic device at school. Students who have access to computers at school  tended to have better educational outcomes than schools that did not. Many schools try not to enforce the use of  computers because it takes away from the relationships between student and teacher or student to student. Using the computers did not help the students in the subjects of math and science. Some teachers taught the students how to use the Internet in a positive way, teaching lessons on plagiarism, viruses, fraud, violation of privacy, and how much internet time in appropriate. This helped teach students a quick lesson on real life issues and not only typical school topics. Using the Internet also introduces access to the latest information. Old textbooks are becoming more and more outdated, whereas the Internet is always being updated.

The goal for many teachers is to get their students to be "smarter than a smartphone," so one would think by always using the computer this would help. This is a  true statement as technology can help assist in great teaching, but it cannot cover up poor teaching skills. Teachers need to be able to take advantage of the  full potential a computer can provide and  they must have a great understanding of how to work the computer in order to be able to guide the students through the process. Teachers should also try to get more involved in designing educational programs. This will help students with their studies because teachers know first hand what techniques may or may not be successful in education.

Connecting the dots of technology to classrooms, students to computers, and teachers to enhancing teaching techniques through computers can benefit the classroom in many positives ways. It has already started to show positive results, schools just need to start committing to technology so they can begin to see the benefits  in their students.

Udacity Courses

Online colleges are becoming more and more popular. They are popping up all the time and each school has it's own pricing. Some schools are no cost to the student, some may cost a few thousand dollars, and some may cost tens of thousands of dollars  in tuition fees to complete their education online.

Udacity is a four-year old teaching setup. After years of trial and error they feel as if they have finally worked out a way to properly train people and teach millions of people technical skills.  A specialist in artificial intelligence named Sebastian Thrun founded Udacity. Thrun once ran Google X and claims that the “nanodegree” program the firm created last year will result in much lower education costs with a wider accessibility. Early data suggests the program is efficient and results in new jobs.  Students who take classes through Udacity receive the nanodegree. This is a credential degree that Udacity worked with Google and other companies to turn into a form of workplace certification. Udacity is trying to help people gain skills in the world of technology because nowadays  technology is used in the workplace. Thrun even states that it is unrealistic to think a college degree will get you through your lifetime nowadays, since everything is becoming more and more technology based. Taking courses to receive a nanodegree is a good idea to assist in  finding a job easier.

When Udacity was first launched, it  had many students taking part in the program. However, the students became laxed  with their work and failed the courses. In 2013, Thrun changed the  program  into a more practical vocational school that offered highly structured lessons. Thrun believes that having  highly vocational lessons will help people find jobs in this technology driven economy. So far, Udacity’s new model has been much more successful. The cost per month is very low and the student can take as little or much time to complete the classes.  When the class has been completed the student receives  half of their tuition back. The company believes that an average student completes the classes for a nanodegree in about 5 months. The cost is usually around $500, for a five month period, which is very inexpensive compared to the tuition cost of a  normal university. Many students who have completed the courses and earned their nanodegree have found jobs and are making a good living.

Udacity may be an independent school, however, they have the capacity to  hire professionals who are able to be personal graders and to give feedback to those taking the classes. This service provides a view from a  real person instead of just outsourcing the services to the Internet. The instructors for the classes are real educators as well.  There is an Android course that is staffed by instructors from Google, who created the mobile operating system.

Udacity is a profit based service, but all of those profits go right back into developing new coursework for students to take. It has also raised $35 million from investors. Udacity will use this money  to develop more courses and hopefully more students will take advantage of this program.

Internet Essentials

The Internet has become a much larger part of the education world today and many of us take it for granted. There are still students  in the world that wish they could have the same opportunities. These students may have Internet access in the classroom, but having access to the Internet at home is not an option. If they did have access they could get help completing assignments, especially if the teacher is using the  online websites to give the assignments.  A large company named  Comcast, has come up with a plan to try to help these students get Internet at home.

Comcast has started a program called "Internet Essentials." This program entails getting high speed Internet for a low rate, an affordable desktop or laptop computer,  it offers free online or classroom classes that are offered in the area.There are also online tutorials to help people maximize their Internet use.  So not only is this program giving students access to the Internet with the main goal of educating students, but allowing them to get a computer at an affordable rate. This ensures they have at least one working computer at home to be able to access the Internet. The program also offers a schedule of free classes that you can attend in your area. This includes online classes and  classroom classes.  The education companies that sponsor this program and partner up with the programs also  offer the classes. These companies  have the students' best interest in getting a quality education at no cost to them. The free online tutorials are also very helpful because they focus on the most important knowledge for students to know. They have three sections of tutorials: how to use the new internet (such as how to search the web and create an email account), online security (how to keep your information safe online), and jobs and school help (such as how to use the Internet to help with homework and resumes).

Internet Essentials is a great tool for those who wish to better themselves and their children's education with  help from the Internet.  Allowing access to the Internet at a low rate will open a window of opportunities for students all across the nation.

Peer Scholar

Peer Scholar is an online tool used for teachers to provide a good education and help students learn subject information.  It focuses on students’ collaboration, learning, and reflection on their work. It is available for any education level as well as compatible with any digital media. This makes it easy to access.

Teachers have access to subject-based and cross curriculum assignments. They can take these assignments and use them within their curriculum  or slightly modify the assignments to fit their needs  but keep the same rubric for grading. They can also create brand new assignments where they see fit. These assignments can be shared with others.  Once the assignment is given, the teacher shares it with the class so the students can have access to it.  When the students submit their assignment  they are  able to see their classmates work also. This assists in the learning process because the students can go in and view what their peers did and give them helpful  feedback. The students are able to collaborate with one another about their work and enturn learn more from each other. They can reflect on their own work and see what needs to be improved upon after viewing all of the feedback from others.

This program can create a new form of learning/teaching and can benefit students in many ways. Constructive criticism is a good way to show how students can learn from their mistakes. Teachers can also use this tool to share good tactics with one another  and how they portray the information in an assessment form.  Peer Scholar is also less intimidating then tests which makes students be more willing to submit their own ideas and not just what they think the teacher may want to hear. I believe by implementing this in classrooms it should assist students and allow for a new teaching technique. 

Tutoring by Aleks

There is a website called Aleks that students may utilize as a great study tool. In my Chemistry class  it  was used in aiding students to understand  concepts. You have to create a user ID and register the class ID that is given by  the teacher. This will allow the teacher to post assignments to assist the student through the course.

When  beginning this endeavor  you will  take a baseline test. This takes your previous knowledge of the subject and makes sure you will be able to get on track for the class. When the test is complete it provides a pie chart. This pie chart breaks down the percentages of  your current knowledge of the subject  and what you need more work on. Each student  will have a different pie chart and different amounts of were they excelled and where they need more work. It is very important not to  cheat  during the baseline test or  all your assignments going forward will be to advanced. It is okay not to have all of the  information because the website is there to walk you through the assignments.

Aleks serves as a personal tutor for the individual student. For each assignment it will teach you how to work out the problems, give you a few sample problems to try, and grade the problems. If you get the problem  correct you will  move on to the next assignment, if you got the problem incorrect it will show you where you made the mistake  and give you a new problem to work through.. This method ensures you learn the material before moving on to the more difficult material.

I believe Aleks is a great tool to help you get through difficult courses. It will continue to go over and over  the subject to assist you in becoming stronger in the subject and push you along the way. You can also receive the  help at your convenience and on your schedule  because it works through the Internet. It is especially great for college students  who are always busy and may not have time to utilize the  office hours of the  professor for extra help. It is easy to use, inexpensive, and a great learning tool overall!

Surgery at a Touch

Ipods, iPads, and iPhones all have applications that can be used for fun and for education. There is a huge variety of  applications that can be used for educational purposes that are very inexpensive. 

There is one application called "Touch Surgery" that can give students who are interested in medical school  an idea of what they are getting themselves into. It is a free application that takes you through realistic surgeries you may perform as a doctor. All you have to do is register  and answer a few questions about your medical interests. The application takes your interests (that you may chose as a potential speciality) and takes you through the preparation and virtual surgeries that actual doctors perform. They even use the proper terminology and treat you like they would a medical student. You may not move forward to the next lesson/ surgery unless you pass the tests given. You must pass the lesson before you can attempt any other type of surgery or  advanced lesson.

As you go through each trial they ask you challenging questions and you must choose the correct answer before the next step can occur. They keep track of how many times you pick the correct or incorrect answer  and give you your score at the end of the lesson. Obviously as a surgeon you need to know your information thoroughly  so therefore there no hesitation in giving lower scores for bad answers. They provide four options for each question. Some questions even give you a circle icon that you need to move  to the correct position to indicate where to make an incision or other medical procedure. They truly make sure you know your material and if you do not, it is a great educational tool to assist in your education.

Each trial/test can be taken multiple times. There is a huge variety of different trials to choose from and by it all being virtual, there is no extra cost for using cadavers or real people.  I would suggest this application to students  either attending medical school, or those who might be interested in attending medical school. It is a great study guide.  It is a free trial to see if  a student is  truly interests in pursuing this as a career. I felt that learned a lot just by going through the trials to test my skills and see to see what a real surgery would be like. It was very interesting and educational application. Anyone can download it.

It is a free tool to be utilized for educational purpose. Many applications out there can be used for educational purposes and this one example of a great application that stood out to me.  

Tweeting Answers

These days, social media plays a huge role in students distractions from schoolwork. Twitter is a free website that many of us are guilty of opening the application, scrolling through, and reading post after post of mindless information. Not all  posts are  full of mindless information. Following certain accounts can be very beneficial to our education and helping us learn more outside of the classroom.

In my Anatomy and Physiology class, our teacher had created an account just for our class and had just about all of the students  following it. The teacher's assistant, or TA, would sit in on every lecture and tweet the main points of the lesson. We did have PowerPoints and were taking notes while the professor was lecturing. However the Twitter account was a good tool to  reference if small details in our notes were missed  or if we wrote it down incorrectly.  Each class had many tweets that would fill our twitter news feed with information. This allowed the students to read through all the information again and  would not allow the students to forget that there was an account made for the class. I always went back and used the account to help study for major exams and quizzes to ensure I was getting the correct information.

Not only could you go back and review the tweets whenever you wanted to, but when it came to tests the professor would get on the account and answer questions students  had through tweets. This was better than email because once a student asked something and it was answered, the question and answer would appear on the twitter account for all to see and would not have to be answered multiple times. If this were email then the professor might be wasting  countless amount of time answering the same question and would not be very time efficient . The twitter account was also used to send out reminders of when certain reports were due, exam dates, material on exams, etc.

Using Twitter as a learning tool is a very clever move. It acts  as a constant reminder for students to pay attention to the facts and information in class instead of the latest gossip and pointless information that is covered on Twitter. It targets students  procrastinate,  and allows them to learn instead. Twitter is free to sign up, free to follow accounts, and therefore it is a very cost effective  tool to uses in the classroom. If more classrooms used Twitter then it would  become more informative  and less gossip.

I enjoyed using  Twitter in my education, because it helped me as I am  too shy to speak up and ask certain questions and it just leaves my feed with meaningful information. I can always gain more knowledge  when I see that  posts come through. People who are not paying attention to the professor during class cannot use Twitter to distract them because the class account posts  live during each class. The best part about Twitter is that it is easy to use and free. It is a great tool especially for those on a budget.