Technology In Class

Is Internet Access a Basic Human Right?

My short answer to the question above is “Not yet, but it will be.” Just as education is a basic human right, so is Internet access. People without Internet access will continue to fall further behind in our flatworld. Educational tools, school applications, and job applications are all found online. Access to these three tools will create liberty and equality for society regardless of socioeconomic status.

First, there are numerous online educational tools. Picture a college student who cannot afford to attend class every day since the class meets during her work hours. In the past, she would have to give up school for work in order to pay the bills. Now, she can both work and take classes. She can take online classes completing reading and assignments after work. Without the Internet she wouldn’t have the freedom to choose.

When it comes time to conduct her research she also has access to countless books, journal articles, images, forums, etc. She can e-mail her friends for suggestions. She can send her paper to classmates for feedback before she turns it in for a final grade. She couldn’t do this without the Internet.

Second, school applications are all online. Paper applications for colleges and universities are a thing of the past. The only thing that’s done on paper anymore in the application process is recommendation letters. Online school applications are a reality. With the Internet, students can apply to more schools in a shorter amount of time and make well-informed decisions. Students can choose the school that will meet their educational and professional goals. They could probably do the same with paper applications, but that would take weeks. If their questions aren’t answered in the mailed information they would have to try calling the school and finding someone to answer their question. With the Internet all they would have to do is search the site.

With all of that saved time in applying for schools online, students can look up grants online as well. They can find grants that suit their needs. Again, finding paper grants would take too long. Students can apply for schools and grants all in one sitting online if they like.

Third, job seekers have to fill out job applications online, even if they meet their employer in person. Companies who conduct most of their business online or who communicate with each other via the Internet use the online application as a weed-out process. It’s a simple test. Do you have basic proficiency with the Internet? Can you find this application? Can you fill it out correctly? Can you upload pertinent documents? The person without Internet access will not find these jobs and may not have the tools or wherewithal to properly apply for them. Is reading and writing a basic human right? Is education? Internet access is too. As long as Internet access is not available to all, the gap between rich and poor will only continue to widen.
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Another Spelling Resource

We reviewed two spelling programs yesterday. Today we’re looking at SpellQuizzer. SpellQuizzer is a spelling program developed for Windows that gives students the opportunity to improve their spelling and vocabulary acquisition. You set up the word lists and students practice.

One feature of SpellQuizzer is that it was not developed with any spelling curriculum in mind. You can customize your own spelling list. SpellQuizzer also recognizes US and UK spellings.

I think this is a great product for anyone who has difficulty in spelling or simply wants to improve. I would recommend it for ESL students especially. Spelling in English is not intuitive (we can thank the French for that). Thus, ESL students have to memorize the spelling of certain words. SpellQuizzer is a great tool.

You can also share your spelling lists at the SpellQuizzerCommunity.
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Free Spelling Resources Online

Spelling is not a strength of mine. You don’t see the amount of time’s I have to check and recheck a post before it’s put on this blog, but it’s a lot. There are two of us that write for TIC, and of the two I can admit my spelling is probobly worse. Like I say to my students, “Don’t worry about spelling. What’s important is that you understand concepts, ideas, technology, and that you are problem solving.” Nothing wrong with that, right?

During my early years as a student I would have benefited from all the online spelling resources that are available today. Here are two of them:

SpinandSpell: Spin & Spell is a great way for students to spell out words after hearing the word and seeing a picture of it. Word categories include animals, what to wear, what we eat, how we get there, the animal kingdom, and in and around the home. This is free.
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Add Some Green to Your Classroom

Recycling is good for the environment, but how many of us or our students actually know what happens to the bottles, paper, and plastics once they are collected? Where do they go? What is done to them so that they are reusable? RecycleBank not only has a great reward program to encourage recycling but also a student friendly series of free animations. The animations show how the materials are separated, treated, and shipped all around the world. Take a look at the introduction animation below (49sec). Each animation is also downloadable.
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Coloring Outside the Lines

In elementary school I was upbraided by my teachers for coloring outside the lines. I didn’t understand what the problem was then. I don’t understand what the problem is now.

A Time

I agree that there is a time for a uniform format.  Books, essays, certain recipes.  There are situations that call for uniformity as well.  Being on time for class when 30 students are waiting for you.  These are times that need uniformity to prevent chaos.
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Returninig Assignments 101

Perhaps  the most underated of classroom dynamics is returning assignments. You’re probably thinking there’s not much to it, just give them back.  Not that simple. The way in which a teacher returns something to a student can build or break the  teacher/student relationship. 

We often make assumptions about a person based on their handshake and how they look at us, whether they are trustworthy or sincere.  Students do the same when we return assignments to them, they too are making assumptions about our character and sincerity. I always prefer to return assignments to students directly, sure, it may take a bit longer but the teacher/student relationship I’m reinforcing benefits both of us.  A school year goes by quickly, before you know it there has been limited opportunities to intereact one on one with students. Returning asignments is one of those opportunities.

If assignments are for meaningful assessment then the feedback a teacher gives is valuable, whether its a suggestion for improvement, a clarification question, or just a “nice work on this”. Go beyond a letter grade.  Students appreciate this, it makes them feel valued and respected as a learner and person. In turn, they will value and respect you more as a teacher. Take for example my car mechanic. The services I get at his shop are really no different or cheaper than another places on the same block. Why do I go back? Because he takes the time, sometimes just a few minutes, to talk to me. To explain what was repaired and offer suggestions to avoid similar problems.  I feel respected, your students will too.

How do you return assignments? Do you throw or fling them toward the student? Do you just set them on a table at the front of the class and tell them to find theirs? Do you call out there name and have them come get it?  Stop. Make an effort to build the teacher/student relationship, approach each student as a individual learner and  seize the opportunity to give meaningful feedback.

Weekly Gathering Christmas Break

Really need this break. I woke up Saturday morning a little tired, but refreshed nevertheless. Here’s the week’s interesting stories. Now, we have more time to read:

• How do teachers dress at your school?  How about students?  Interesting story about the trend towards more formal dress.
• My old boss on student loans.
• Are we losing the ability to appreciate nature?  Have you ever thought about what you’re missing?
• Honesty.
• Second grade teacher overhyping third grade

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Brain Space: How Much Do You Have Left?

I often wonder how much brain space is taken up by students’ names and faces. As teachers we may have between 100 and 150 students a year. That doesn’t include students from extracurricular activities and tutoring. Take that rough number and multiply it by the years you’ve been teaching. Not only do you remember names and faces, but you remember personalities, student work, colleges they’ve gone to, their parents, and some funny things they’ve done in class. We deal with more people on a personal level than any other job. College professors may have more students, but they can hardly get to know a lecture hall full of students. Politicians cannot get to know their constituents as well as a teacher can.

I try to memorize and use student names as fast and as much as possible. This ensures that their names are stored in my long-term memory. I’m usually pretty good at remembering names of students years later if I bump into them outside of school. However, I’ve had the experience of running into a student and not remembering his name until after we departed.

Napoleon is famous for knowing the names of all the officers in his regiments. That’s a remarkable leadership strategy. Yet, seasoned teachers still know more names than Napoleon did.

• What strategies do you use to remember student names, even after they’ve left your class?
• Does remembering names bolster your memory or take up too much space?

Freedom of Speeches

Having a hard time finding a famous speech for a Language Arts class? How about an historical speech for your Social Science class? American Rhetoric has a solution, they are a free database of over 5000 full text, audio, and video versions of all types of speeches. On the American Rhetoric site there is something for every class. You can search many ways, we recommend looking at the Top 100 Speeches, Movie Speeches, Obama Speeches, or use the Speech Bank to find exactly what you need. And yes, they are limited to American speeches only.

This post, along with other educational technology sites and resources are located on the TIC Recommends page.
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