Week 11: Open Source Software

Open source is an important feature, because it allows people to have free access to change and redistribute source code when something is not working. A lot of times companies do not allow open access to these codes which means that if something breaks, you won't be able to fix it because the company has licences and fees on the codes. This means that they make money when things are not working right and people are forced to pay for the source codes. Richard Storman was the one who created this in the 1970's. When a printer at the company he worked for stopped working, he thought he would easily be able to fix it. He was wrong however, when the printer company refused to give him the source codes, even though he had paid for the printer. So, he quit and started the GNU project to provide free software to people. Basically, with free source software, anyone can alter it so that it works how they want and they don't have to rely on the original manuufacturer to change it for a large sum of money.

This is very handy for teachers. They don't make a lot of money so they shouldn't have to go out and buy expensive programs that may not get used very often. Now, there is the option to get this free source software that allows even the poorest schools to have access to the software. It is no longer only for those with money, anyone can now download, change and share explore as they wish.

This article did a great job of explaining what open source is:

What is Open Source Software?

Social tools in elementary education

Week 10: Learning theory

This week we learned about different learning theories and styles. The two that were focused on were behaviorism and constructivism. Behaviorism is the idea that behavior can be modified and that cause and effect relationships are internal and cannot be seen. One method of conditioning is called classical conditioning. Some examples would be advertisements and whistles on a sports field. Operant conditioning is changing someone's behavior by using consequences. The three components that go along with this type of conditioning are reinforcement, extinction and punishment. The information process theory is another idea we learned. It consists of the change in behavior that is visible to the observer. The computer analogy is often used to describe how learned information is processed. It suggests that there are three different memory stores that work together. They are process, store and retrieve information.
Another theory is the constructivist theory. It is the idea that all knowledge is created by participating in experiences. Learning occurs when the person creates his/her own version of the information. Problem oriented activities, complex environments, cooperative learning, and project based learning are all recommended for this type of learning. There are problems with it though. One is the fact that the teacher cannot verify individual skill levels. Students might not have the prerequisites needed or they may not choose the most efficient method, not all topics are designed for this type of learning and the skills obtained might not work in practical situations.
There is not really one best choice. As a teacher, I will have to keep in mind the fact that everyone learns differently and that I should used multiple strategies when teaching. Some students are more visual while others prefer to listen. While I might have students do some groupd projects, I will need to remember that not everyone likes working with others and that some students learn better on their own. These theories are important to know so that I can use different strategies in the classroom.

This is a website that I thought was very interesting. You have to click on each question in order to read what is written. It was cool, because not only did it provide a background on constructivism, but it also compared comstructivist learning to traditional learning. It also talked about the pros and cons as well as some ideas that can be used in the classroom for students to demonstrate what they have learned.

Constuctivism in the Classroom

Week 9: Google docs

This week we learned about google documents. They make sending attachments much easier. Instead of sending individual emails with attachments on each, google docs allows you to keep attachments on the internet and send emails from them. They help you stay organized, because you only have one version and can make changes of powerpoints or articles immediately. If there are multiple people working on one project, they can all make changes instantly and everyone can see them. Google docs also allows you to control who has access to the project and who is allowed to see them. Instead of having four copies on the computer, which is what happens when you send an attachment, there is only one. Plus, google docs will save all your previous versions so that you can look back at them and have them organized. Google docs also has other cool tools like power point, spread sheets and online calendars.

Google docs can be extremely useful in the classroom. As a teacher, I could have students email me their papers and instead of having tons of attachments to keep track of, I would have everything in one place. Another neat tool is the google docs calendar. This is especially useful for teachers. The google calendar can be put on a website which can then be acccessed by parents and students. Teachers can easily add activities to the calendars and make any changes necessary. It also eliminates the waste of paper from having to make copies for everyone, and by sending it online teachers are sure that parents will receive the calendars so that they can stay posted on what is going on throughout the year.

We also learned about cloud computing. The three parts to it are: applications, platforms and infrastructure. It allows information and projects to be stored in an online "cloud" so that they can be accessed from any computer anywhere. This eliminates the hassle of having to bring your own laptop with you or emailing a project to yourself when you need to work on it. Platforms allow companies to obtain on demand services and pay only a subscription fee. Cloud computing makes it easier to run any programs without having to pay for the software. Companies are able to cut back on costs and are able to access information more efficiently with this new tool. Platforms allow users to access from centralized servers, such as Amazon. The final part is the infrastructure. It is the most important because it provides the storage space and the capabilities for these programs to run.

This is a really helpful article that cleared up a lot about cloud computing:
Cloud computing article