McLuhan's+Tetrad

**Course Project: Online Learning Community: Leading Technology Change**
This week, you and your Learning Community will begin to use a wiki to create an online learning community in which you will collaborate with colleagues to develop a shared resource. Throughout the development of this project, your online Learning Community will focus on the use of new and emerging technologies in educational settings. The purpose of this project is threefold: For this week’s Learning Community contribution, summarize the work you completed in the Application Assignment: McLuhan’s Tetrad. Select at least one technology contributed by a member of your Learning Community and add your thoughts and ideas about using that technology in an educational setting.
 * To evaluate the opportunities and limitations of using an online learning community to help you lead technology change in your school
 * To strengthen your understanding of the advantages and challenges of using new and emerging technologies in your school through shared professional knowledge, taking advantage of the research and contributions of your colleagues
 * To create an evolving, up-to-date repository of resources, information, and strategies that you can continue to use and expand once you have completed this course

Assignment length: 2 paragraphs


 * Katie Whitemarsh Application 2 Overview **
 * McLuhan's Tetrad **

The technology that I chose to use to create a tetrad for was encyclopedias. I explained how in the past we used to have to haul huge, heavy encyclopedias around the house or in the library to find the information we were looking for. After that came the invention of CD-ROMS that contained the same information that was in the giant books, but just in disk format. Finally, the Internet evolved and so did //Wikipedia// and the idea of finding information online. The problem that I discussed with //Wikipedia// is the fact that anybody can go online and add information, accurate or not, to those topics. I decided that the future of reference material would be in the form of electronic textbooks being adopted more and more into schools and libraries. We already know that information can be digitized and with this technology students can be given a CD that contains the textbook information they need for their classes or they may download it from the Internet. This helps the information stay not only secure, but convenient as well. I look forward to reading about what technologies and predictions you all have come up with! Katie Alisa to Katie Your encyclopedia tetrad was a great example! I hadn't really thought about this as an example. You mentioned how you felt that more online textbooks will be used in the future. I think you are absolutely correct. This will have to be affordable for schools to begin purchasing them but I feel students may more likely use this tool is it were online. As it is already our students are hooked to their technology once the last bell of the day rings. I always have to smile at my students as they walk out the door at the end of the end of the day. They are instantly glued to their mp3 player or cell phone as they are walking out of the door. As educators if we want to keep our students best interest in mind online textbooks will be the best way to keep them motivated and engaged in the content in the classroom. I chose the “clicker” software available for interactive white boards and LCD projectors. These hand held remote devices have been around for a few years but they are definitely an emerging technology to me. I hope to implement them in my classroom over the next few weeks but this will be time dependent and that is always difficult. The clickers enhance instruction by delivering instant feedback to formal assessment. The teacher can immediately use this information do determine the direction of the lesson. They replace attendance as well as the daily warm up. It reminds everyone of a video game or even a game show and it will eventually be replaced by an interactive desk or a desk tablet. Thanks for getting this going Katie!
 * Jonathan Young’s Tetrad**

Katie to Jonathan, I am so jealous, I have always wanted clickers for my classroom! My brother-in-law has them in his high school special education math classroom and he loves them. I understand what you mean though about getting them integrated, any time there is something new it will take time, but have confidence in your students that they will be so excited they will be really motivated to listen and learn! I would like to use them in my 5th grade science class with my students as an entry task in each of my four classes. I think it would be beneficial if my students could answer a few questions about inquiry science and then compare their results with the other blocks. This would be really helpful as I am really focusing on getting them ready for our state test. Katie

Alisa Woods Tetrad

For this assignment I chose the computer projector. These have been around for awhile but they have recently just placed into all of the classrooms at my school last year. Prior to this I was still using the transpariences overhead projector. I thought this technology was frustrating to use because I was constantly making new overheads along with cleaning off after each class period was over. The comptuer projector allows for a diversifed learning environment for all students. This technology tools allows teachers to show video, pictures, take virtual field trips, write on worksheets on a whiteboard and/or SMART Board, create graphic organizers. Plus many more things. The transparency overhead projector limited what a teacher could do in the classroom. The comptuer projector allows for creative thinking in order to help all students to be successful in the classroom. In the future I'm not really sure where this technology will lead but maybe someday we will be able to use our iPads/tablets or cell phones to project information on a wall or floor anytime we feel its necessary to share what we are looking at with others around us.

Brittany to Alisa, Computer projectors have definitely replaced overhead projectors. I have used a few different types of projectors, including a SMART Board, and think they are great. They make it possible to bring the whole world into the classroom (as long as you have an internet connection). It is much more cost effective to take a virtual field trip than a real one and safer for the students and teacher. Overhead projectors are damaging to the eyes of the user and graphics are limited to what can be printed or drawn on to a sheet. I agree that eventually this technology will be replaced with personal screens but that is still in the future. __Brittany Washburn Tetrad__

For this assignment I chose the broad topic of personal learning environments. The idea of personal learning environments comes from the educational theories that support differentiated instruction, and universal design for learning. The difference now is that technology is used to create the differentiation, rather than teacher effort to change the curriculum to meet the needs of each student. The use of personal learning environments will create classrooms where students can learn in ways that best support their particular intelligences. The content can be delivered in the most beneficial way for each student and assessment will be based on the strengths of each student.

•Personal Learning Environments •__Enhances:__ This technology provides students with an interactive learning environment that is unique to individual needs and learning styles. Web 2.0 provides an environment where this type of learning is possible. •__Obsoletes__: This technology replaces one-way textbook learning in one modality. The user can choose learning styles that meet his or her needs. •__Retrieves/Rekindles:__ This technology retrieves the notion of subject-matter specialists giving content-specific lessons. This is what teachers were originally, and the students were asked to mold to fit the teaching style. •__Reverses:__ This technology is created through Web 2.0, which has unlimited implications for the future. I imagine a time where students do not learn in traditional classroom settings, but rather in environments unique to their needs.

Jonathon Yinger to Brittany,

Do you envision students gaining their "personal learning environments" through one-to-one computing or an actual classroom? Do you mean more virtual instruction? We have been doing some online learning this way where the students can move at their own pace, however, the curriculum doesn't change, just the speed. I think you sound like you have an idea of sliding curriculum too. If this could work it would be a fascinating way to grant each child a personal and ideal tutor. However, I'd be afraid to be out of a job. Any who, it sounds interesting. Happy Sunday!

Jonathon Yinger's Tetrad

I chose to discuss the Smarphone for my Tetrad. I see the Smartphone replacing the laptop, the cell phone, the camera, and the calculator all in one package. I believe that the Smartphone allows communication and collaboration in a way that no other device currently can. I believe the Smartphone rekindles the use of text and of reading to communicate over verbal communication, and finally, I believe that the Smartphone will be ultimately replaced by a more immersive technology that allows better and fuller control of the device and a more integrative experience than the Smartphone can offer in its current form. I believe that schools should embrace and use student owned Smartphones to gain more enthusiasm from students as they will be familiar and excited to use their own equipment, as well as save on finances by not having to purchase as many computers. I have been personally allowing Smartphones in my own class for these purposes and it has been very effective thus far.