RSS in Education

This week we had the opportunity to learn about RSS (Real Simple Syndication), RSS feeds, and RSS feed readers.  Through the assignment, we explored ways in which we could utilize this technology in the classroom to enhance communication, increase efficiency, and promote collaboration.  I have summarized my discoveries and suggestions in this Prezi presentation.

Link to my PREZI

This Prezi includes my YouTube screen tutorial of using Feedly.com in the classroom. (I have posted it below, as well, for reference.)  Please note that if the captioning track I've edited and added does not appear in this small window, you will have to view it through YouTube.com and select the "CC" option at the bottom of the viewing frame.

In this presentation I have explained what RSS is, its general purpose, where it can be found, and several specific ways that teachers and students can use it educationally.  The video component highlights Feedly.com as a feed reader.  I demonstrate how to find RSS feeds, add them to the aggregator, establish categories, sort through the results, and mark or save posts. I also include several examples of using RSS feeds as a means of:

1) professional development (staying on top of education trends and research),

2) keeping track of activity on students' blogs,

3) sharing class information with students, and

4) making it easy for students to correspond and collaborate with their peers.

Through this assignment I learned that RSS feeds aren't just email subscriptions.  In many ways they are like interactive, user-friendly, and dynamic bookmarks that are accessible from anywhere.  They gather updated posts that are important to me even when I'm away from the computer.  Gone are the days of mile long bookmark lists on my web browser.  I am a RSS convert!  I know using Feedly.com will keep me organized and more current in my profession.

After reflecting on how my students could use RSS in their experience, I have decided to help my students set up learning blogs.  I will then demonstrate how we can establish our interactive digital community.  We will then begin to share assignments, notes, reflections, links, and important reminders with each other.  These will all be visible with a click of a button!  This is just one step in the process of converting to a paperless community.  I think my students will be enthralled with the idea that their feed reader is doing most of the "work" for them!

The next thing I hope to learn more about is how to compile my RSS feeds onto a personalized website.

With regard to creating this artifact, I was thrilled to learn how to use "Screencast-o-matic", a tool that allowed me to record events taking place on my monitor with audio narration.  This was something I had never endeavored before, and was surprised not only by its ease of use but by its quality and versatility.  I can see how valuable this will be going forward in creating tutorials for my students or for promoting peer teaching in my classroom.  Working with Prezi has not come as naturally to me, and as much as I love that presentation software, I've yet to master its nuances.  I am not 100% satisfied with the final product of this presentation, but I did feel it was a dynamic, visual way to present a lot of background information regarding RSS and RSS in the classroom. Hopefully I will build my Prezi skills to create more professional-looking deluxe "slideshows" in the future.  I was excited that it was so easy to insert my YouTube video at the end, however, and I thought that was an effective finishing touch.

Elements of Educational Technology

Greetings,

This week we had the opportunity to react to the AECT article on the Definition of Educational Technology by choosing one to three elements that we considered most important in the field of educational technology (See assignment description).  It was difficult to narrow down the focus to just a few of the elements of such a comprehensive definition, but I tried to capture what I felt was the most important essence.

 ~ Please read my response document below or click here ~

In reflecting on this current definition, it is evident that the definition of educational technology is dynamic and strives to stay in line with current educational philosophies in practice.  That is, as the education system moves (or tries to move) toward a constructivist, cognitive-based, student-centered classroom, the purpose of educational technology shifts in tandem with the new teaching styles and learning goals. The current definition echoes these postmodern influences.

One of the things I was most surprised to read about in the article was that the AECT actually had a definition for educational technology as far back as 1963.  I know it sounds naïve, but when I think of a classroom in the 1960’s, the most high-tech device I can think of is a slide projector.  The technologies they must have been referring to were inevitably different from the computer simulations and social media our students are working with today.  Therefore, it’s only natural that their influence back then was much more reigned-in and focused on control.  Overall, I felt it served as a great contrast that the article spent a lot of time discussing the way educational technology used to be defined (e.g. more about student retention with less focus on skills transferable to the real world). I appreciated the authors’ viewpoint “if learners don’t use the knowledge, skills, and attitudes outside the classroom, what is the point of teaching them?” (p. 4).  I think it’s good that we are moving away from this “inert” knowledge.

In every aspect of the definition, we see a transition away from what the teacher is doing to what the student is doing.  This is something I often forget about in my own practice. My lesson plans should not be script for me.  The activities I present should not involve students "going through the motions" of acquiring knowledge.  Rather, education should be a struggle for my students.  Utilizing technology to work through that struggle is a positive and enriching part of the learning process.  Making sense of something is more relevant that memorizing and relaying it.

That’s why, as I work through this course, I aim to broaden my initial goal from gaining technology skills that aid in content delivery to include (and emphasize) helping my students find good technology and learn to use it to solve a problem or increase their understanding.  In its modern definition, educational technology is exploratory.  It is no longer in favor of instructional routines.  Good technology promotes active, open-ended learning.  Although I am still a little uncomfortable with that teaching style in its full implementation, I know it's best for the students and best for the profession.

Another thing I was pleased to read was that the modern professional field of educational technology uses authentic environments and the voice of practitioners as well as researchers. It’s not just theory and statistics.  Nor is it tainted by commercial conglomerates. It’s lively and engaging and highly embedded in the real work of teaching practitioners.  Just as any good teaching strategy or philosophy should, it appears to be rooted in “objective” research results just as much as “subjective” professional experience. It’s a very hands-on, approachable field of education.

Being a big advocate of "hands-on" learning, I hope to learn more about pilot programs that I might be able to take part in to contribute to the research in this field.  I also aim to be more actively involved in blogging (and other social media platforms) to promote, share, and give evidence of the effectiveness of technology in the classroom.



References
Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT) Definition and Terminology Committee. (2004, 1 June). The Definition of Educational Technology. 

Welcome!

Greetings and welcome to my EDTECH Learning Log!

My name is Erica Fuhry, and I am just beginning my journey in Boise State University's Master of Educational Technology program.  Thank you visiting this website and viewing the artifacts and reflections I have posted throughout my experience.  I appreciate your feedback as I work to improve my technology skills and learn more about role of technology in the 21st century classroom.

I currently live in Bermuda where I most recently served as a Computer Studies teacher for grades 6-12 in a private school using the Alberta curriculum. Prior to that I have taught elementary music and a combined class of grade 1&2 boys.  Before moving to Bermuda, I worked at two international schools in Venezuela teaching middle school math and science and grades 2 and 3.  I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and my student teaching experience was split between a bilingual 6th grade classroom in Madison and a K-12 catholic girl's school in Ecuador. (Spanish was my other major.)  Despite my eclectic teaching experiences, technology has been a common thread that has propelled me forward in my career.  I have been highly motivated by the ways in which different software and hardware engage my students and enrich their educational experiences.  I also feel it is important to "keep up" with the Millennial Generation because they so familiar with and so stimulated by technology.  I also enjoy being somewhat of a pioneer and having a plethora of resources to share with my colleagues as well.

This year my husband and I plan to move to the U.S. where I will technically be "repatriating" and teaching in the U.S. school system for the first time!  I believe my experience in the MET program will help me stay competitive and ensure I am offering a top-notch education to my students in any school district.

This learning log will serve as a portfolio of my work as I progress throughout the program.  It will also allow others to identify with, challenge, or comment on my reflections and artifacts.  Thank you for your interest!