Social Bookmarking & Microsoft vs. Google Docs

Social bookmarking is a way for internet users to share, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web resources. This can be a very valuable resource for both teachers and students. Students and teachers can set up social bookmarking accounts, which will enable them to share the bookmarks and resources throughout their entire education.

By using social bookmarking, students and teachers have an outlet to communicate through when they are not in an educational setting. Students can show teachers what they are researching for projects and teachers will have the ability to quickly review the source and see the content that is taken for projects. Also, students can easily collaborate and share ideas through their bookmarks and comments. Overall, the idea of social bookmarking is creative and very useful for students and teachers.

If my school district was thinking about switching to Google Doc’s, I would recommend the district to stay with Microsoft’s applications. In general, I believe that most individuals and occupations still use Microsoft’s applications. So, I believe that it would be beneficial for students to continue to taught and use Microsoft applications. Although Microsoft doesn’t currently allow individuals to collaborate and share information easily, it is simply one extra step to copy your information into Google Docs to use its current sharing features. Also, I believe that Microsoft will adapt and upgrade their current features to compete with Google Docs.

Though I do believe students should continue to use Microsoft applications, I do believe that all students should be familiarized with Google Docs and allow the students to choose which style they prefer. But, the majority of people do use Microsoft and I feel that students should know how to use all of its features.

Microsoft Excel

One of a teacher’s main objectives in the classroom is to find effective ways to engage their students. Technology, a tool which is very effective for the current generation of students, should be used to keep students interested in their school work. A Microsoft tool which can incorporate technology into the classroom and engage students is Microsoft Excel. Excel offers many creative applications and can be adopted and incorporated in any curriculum.

Here are five examples of how Microsoft Excel can be used effectively in the classroom:

1. Journal - Students can keep a journal throughout the year in one file! Encourage creative writing, keeping a log of activities, thoughts, etc.

Here is a template for the journal: Journal Excel file

This lesson matches the NETS-S Standard of Communication and Collaboration. Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology.

2. Social Studies or Science Activity – This is a fun and creative way to use Excel. Import digital photos or other image files into a workbook and use the comments feature to add labels to the pictures. This is a wonderful way to learn or review vocabulary terms, places, etc. (US States and capitals, parts of plant, muscles of body, planets of the solar system) Advanced students can create their own images to label! Taken from: Pics4Learning

This lesson matches the NETS-S Standard of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

3. Combination of Literature and Math – Students and teacher read together the book "Alexander, Who Used to Be Rich Last Sunday" by Judith Viorst. Discuss why he is no longer rich. Re-read the book with students, stopping to enter data in an Excel spreadsheet as Alexander looses or spends his money. By the end of the story your spreadsheet should reflect the total amount he started with last Sunday and how it disappeared!
   Here is a spreadsheet example and template: Alexander

This lesson matches the NETS-S Standard of Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making. Students use critical thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.

4. Practice Money Math – With students, discover how many different ways there are to make change for a dollar? The answer is 294! One is a silver dollar. See how many of the other 293 your students can identify. Use Excel to record your combinations of coins.

Technology activity adapted from H.I.P. Pocket Exchange Math Lesson

This lesson matches the NETS-S Standard of Research and Information Fluency.Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information

5. Use Excel for a Quiz – Looking for a way to quiz your students? Look no further, excel can provide the perfect format to assemble a quiz to evaluate your students knowledge of your topic

Here is an example of a math quiz: Excel Quiz

This idea matches the NETS-S Standard of Technology Operations and Concepts. Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Some materials were borrowed from:

http://www.lexington1.net/technology/?page=instruct/examples.htm

Standards can be found at:

http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students/nets-student-standards-2007.aspx

Students of the 21st Century

Students today learn, act, speak and enjoy things that are vastly different from previous generations of students. A key factor to these changes is the advances of technology. So, is this evolution over the past few years, for better or worse? Well, it is simply a matter of opinion and understanding.

To the previous generations they find the advances of technology to be ludicrous and confusing. These individuals have no concept of how technology works and are simply intimidated by the complexity, speed and consistent advances. For the students who are adapting, engaging and learning all these new advances, it is simply the world in which they live and enjoy. Having the opportunity to live, grow and learn in the beginning portions of the technology era, I must agree with these students’ perspectives that technology is a great thing.

Students now learn much different and need to be engaged much different. They expect to create and share information. They enjoy and embrace the idea of collaboration, most often using the technology of blogs and wikis. Students now spend time playing video games, watching television, engaging computer programs, reading and listening to Ipods. The students enjoy different things and need to be engaged accordingly. I don't believe the majority of teachers are doing a good enough job engaging students.

Most teachers have no idea the amount creativity their students are using outside of the classroom. When students enter classrooms, they feel restricted and are more concerned about the creative things they are using at home or during free time. Teachers must use technology and other engaging activities to enhance student thinking, analyzing, applications and creativity. These students deserve a great education and it is up to a new generation of teachers to understand their students abilities and needs. If teachers are unable to adapt, what type of education system will we be left with? For me, it would be an education system that I would not want to be a representative of.

Digital Natives

Technology is such a dynamic concept, which is constantly evolving and growing. Inventors and entrepreneurs are inspired to create and develop the next piece of technology to grow both our society and economy. As our society continues to be impacted by technological advances, society’s cultures, values systems and norms are evolving too.

The youth of our society have developed in an era of technology and are truly “digital natives.” The youth of today are all "native speakers" of the digital language of computers, video games and the Internet. “Digital natives” truly think differently. They are consistently exposed to stimuli, allowing them to multitask. They communicate through text messages, internet messaging, social networking, email and skype.

These new concepts have truly connected the globe and I believe have made our society smarter. I am able to still communicate with friends from Serbia, Switzerland and China, who I befriended while they were foreign exchange students in high school and college. While I took a history course in college, I frequently asked my friend questions about his culture and felt better prepared for class participation and tests.

Youth are no longer excited by school and it is truly a matter of how to engage youth and allow them to use their creative ability. As educators, we must evolve with the students and stay connected with changes. Students today are bored by old teaching methods. Students learn in drastically different ways now and it is truly a result of them developing differently. We must incorporate technology into the classroom, because that is exactly what they are accustomed to and will allow the students to be engaged in their course work. The idea of adding technology is not radical, but rather necessary, as we are continually losing bright students. We lose bright students because they are no longer engaged and believe that can find all the answers they need through their own intuition because they are quicker and more efficient then their own teachers.