Karla Erdman, writer
  • Home
  • Karla's Koffee Klatch
  • Thursday Night Book Club
  • Photos from around the Globe

Paperless? Maybe. Bookless? Never.

4/24/2012

2 Comments

 
Like the BIG BAD BOOK companies, I guess I look at my bottom line when considering getting rid of textbooks and novels. My husband works for a printing company, so his job (and our livelihood) depends upon people purchasing books.

However, I am a techno-nerd, and I love my electronics. I have a Nook (first generation) and a Xoom tablet in addition to my desktop computer, which is the new HP touchsmart. I enjoy reading an ebook, and there are some real benefits. I don't have to worry about the page turning while I'm eating my breakfast and reading a book. When I go outside, the pages don't blow in the wind. However, when I go to the beach, I take a book. Why? I don't want sand in my eReader, nor do I want it to get wet. Remember, water is BAAAAD for electronics.

But there are some considerations to be seriously pondered when talking about going to a 1:1 electronic ratio in school. As one of the comments from the article mentioned, how are charging capabilities handled? Will it enlarge the great divide of the haves and have nots? Will students use them appropriately? (These comments were related to the blogger's comments about allowing students to bring in their own devices - BYOD.)

Also, teaching students appropriate usage takes time. I have laptops in my room, and if I'm not on the students every minute, they waste valuable class time "surfing the net." They are watching videos and searching pictures--which have NOTHING to do with what they have been assigned to do. I can see it definitely happening with an iPad and the game applications. Students will be playing Angry Birds instead of reading a book.

Switching to an electronic device does not mean that the skills don't have to be taught. A book is still a book, is still a book. On an iPad, the book still opens to pages, and OMG, yes, you still have to read it.

Article for further reading: Saucon Valley
2 Comments

Technology Lesson Plan

4/23/2012

0 Comments

 
I'm going to attempt to link my lesson plan.

For those of you who don't know about Dropbox, it is a wonderful "cloud" program. It is free, just like most of the Web 2.0 tools I use (I don't like to pay for much). I put my lesson plan in my public folder and linked it to this blog post. This way if the link doesn't work, all I have to do is open Dropbox, and I still have access to the file.
0 Comments

That's mine! If you want it, pay for it!

4/17/2012

5 Comments

 
Copyright. Teens don't realize that it exists. Adults assume that if it's on the Internet, it's free.
Well, that is not the case; if anything, copyright continues to get more strict, not less.
I personally do not always understand copyright, but I try very, very hard not to infringe on someone's copyright. I guess that comes from my thought about trying to place myself in someone's shoes. Would I want to lose out on revenue because people just "stole" my product and possibly pawned it off as their own? The answer is no; I would be furious.
The infringement of copyright is just like walking into that person's personal home, taking what you want, and showing it to your friends like you own it.
I am a huge proponent of teaching students about copyright laws; however, I don't think enough is being done to teach them how to use information appropriately.
I must admit that I did learn something that never crossed my mind this evening. I did not realize that a teacher could not show a movie, just to show a movie. It must relate to teaching. I cannot WAIT to pass that one on.
5 Comments

Online Conferences

4/13/2012

6 Comments

 
I do a lot of conferencing online with students. I think it is valuable, it is hip, and it allows flexibility.
First, it is so important for me to collaborate with my students because that is how they learn. It is not by the direct instruction I do, but by the one-on-one instruction and interaction. "By inserting comments directly into the document you are reading, you offer the writer a chance to go back to those comments over and over again" (Hicks 38). This is so true because as we all know, we don't always remember what someone says verbally; we need it written. Thus, the written feedback is so valuable.

Additionally, using the technology is hip. Right now, if you start using the technology and teaching the students, you ARE the expert in the classroom. I have students creating websites. They have TONS of questions; they don't know as much as the experts think they do. Yes, they are very creative, and yes, they have the ability to do fantastic things. However, they don't know HOW to do them using technology. My journalism students are so engaged each and every day while they are creating their websites. They are not grousing about writing; they are embracing it because they are doing it in such a unique and modern way.

Finally, conferencing online allows me flexibility. I can comment on a document during my prep, at night, or on the weekend. If the student goes online anytime after that, s/he will see my feedback, and it is immediate. No longer do students have to wait for you to pass back papers. Additionally, if you see the same issues with many papers, you can copy and paste the comment. You can't do that when you are handwriting the comments.

As you all know, I embrace technology. I don't claim to know everything, but I do know a lot. However, I am always learning more. I think the key is to pick one thing that you think will enhance your students' learning, and then become an expert at the one thing. You can always add other items along the way, but I think it is easier to stick with one thing until you are so comfortable that you can add other items. For example, I am having my journalism students create websites, which is new to me, but I only have 9 students. Conversely, I have 55 English students, so I don't have them creating the websites until I know exactly what I want them to create and why. Will I eventually have my English students creating websites? Maybe. Maybe not.
6 Comments

I <3 Google Docs!

4/3/2012

5 Comments

 
Today in my graduate class, we explored Google Documents in preparation for a collaborative writing project. I love using Google Documents because it is so user friendly. That is why I teach my students how to use Google Documents during the first two weeks of a new semester. Then students use Google Documents to complete homework and share it with me. It eliminates the printing part for students. I love when they get to class and are initially in a panic because they thought they forgot their homework. All of a sudden, they realize--Yes, I did it and shared it with the teacher. It makes it much easier. What I want to learn how to do is to use the Form portion of Google Documents in order to
5 Comments

    Hey!
    It's me, Karla.

    This blog page was ORIGINALLY created for my EDUC 463 The Internet and K-12 Education course at Penn State Lehigh Valley. However, as I was re-vamping my website in the spring of 2014, I decided to continue to utilize the blog, but more for personal purposes.

    Archives

    July 2014
    June 2014
    April 2012
    March 2012

    Categories

    All
    Blogs
    Book
    Clean Eating
    Ebook
    Electronics
    Food
    Ipad
    Journalism
    Learning
    Lesson Plan
    No Carbs
    No Dairy
    No Sugar
    Paperless
    Posting
    Purpose
    Reading
    Technology
    Textbooks
    Whole30
    Whole Foods
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Writer

Karla Lee Erdman

Proudly Powered

by Weebly
© COPYRIGHT 2011-2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Photos used under Creative Commons from leoncillo sabino, www.davidbaxendale.com, tomatoes and friends, tnssofres, EraPhernalia Vintage . . . (playin' hook-y ;o), markus spiske, torbakhopper, FOODLANDER.COM, Jonathan Rolande, Sam Howzit, gomagoti, saeru