Are You Smarter Than A 5th Grader?

 

Five of my pre-service teachers (graduate students) found out they indeed were smarter than 5th graders, but learned a great deal! Through their first Service Learning Project this semester from the course I teach: Technology in the Classroom: Applications and Implications they had the wonderful opportunity to work with twenty-two 5th graders from Holy Cross Catholic School. The students arrived energized and ready to learn!

We started off in Sedgwick 307 computer lab and discussed the importance of learning technology, and keeping them all safe on the internet. The fifth graders went through different scenarios with their ‘teacher’ (RU Department of Education graduate student) of how to handle being bullied on line/texting/social networking. The Hoy Cross students also read, discussed and signed an age appropriate internet safety pledge to follow:  http://www.netsmartz.org/Resources/Pledges . 

This is an amazing resource for each student about internet safety, cyber bulling and technology responsibility. Each student was placed in a group with one 'partner teacher'. They introduced themselves and learned a little bit about each other. After some lunch and dessert, they were ready to roll up their sleeves and work hard. We moved over to  Van Ackeren 310 lab, which is a smaller lab. This enabled us to work together and help all students. Five of my graduate students: Matt, Rose, Felicia, Paula, and Rebecca each worked with a group of about 5 students each and showed them how to make their own PowerPoint presentation.

It was a success! Although the Holy Cross fifth grade students had not worked in PowerPoint program before, they jumped in and got started right away. They enjoyed creating a PowerPoint about themselves. They created five slides about their favorite area in school and their goals for the future while inserting pictures, different designs and animations. Their end products exceeded our expectations. It truly confirmed: our current generation are the Digital Natives.

My graduate students were able to facilitate the learning taking place and gain experience working with 'live' students, the ones they read about in their textbooks. This is crucial in teacher education programs. The days of field experience where students only observe and do not engage with K-12 students is in the past, especially here at RU.  I was proud of the warm spirits and guidance my students showed 'their' students and the amazing behavior and product the Holy Cross students showed that special day at Rockhurst University.

What made this Service Learning Project even more rewarding was when Dave Rush, the Holy Cross Catholic School's 5th grade teacher sent an email after writing:

“Thank you for including the 5th grade with your ed tech program.  We are very excited about the trip yesterday and have had 4 students report today they went home to see if they had PowerPoint on their home computer. Thank you for increasing our students’ awareness of the world around them.”

Note: Lunch, Materials, and Transportation were funded through the Thomas More Center Grant through Catholic Studies, RU.

Graduate Student Funds=Travel and Learning!

I had the pleasure of presenting with four graduate students this summer to Philadephia for the ISTE Conference. We were able to attend this amazing international conference together and enjoy the sites in Philly. Gradudate student funds are available to all graduate students in each department of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. Graduate students may apply through this link: http://www.rockhurst.edu/academic/education/about/news.asp. Hear from one of my students: Tasha Howard and how she felt about the trip....

Four graduate students descended on Philadelphia as nervous pre-service teachers, not at all sure how we would fit into a conference that was sure to be overrun with experienced and veteran educators. I feel confidant in saying that we all left Philadelphia with a whole new respect for the education profession. The ISTE conference was one of the most rewarding experiences of my educational journey at Rockhurst University. Not only did I learn about the latest technological innovations in the classroom, but I was able to meet seasoned teachers who were more than willing to share their personal experiences with technology in their classrooms. Dr. Sonnenberg mentored us as students and as colleagues, which allowed us to flourish at our Rockhurst University Poster Session. Which was a complete success!

            We also seized the opportunity to do some sight seeing while in the city of “brotherly love.” Everything we encountered while in Philadelphia was one more tool we will be able to take into our future classrooms. Making the trip all the more rewarding. From running up the famous “Rocky Stairs” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, walking along the same cobblestone path that Benjamin Franklin once did, standing beside the Liberty Bell and finally standing in the very room the Declaration of Independence was signed, were all experiences that I will never forget. Without a doubt, I will take this experience into my future classroom. If I ever have the opportunity to attend a similar conference, it would be a no-brainer, I am there.

What is Parse?

Welcome to my blog! Here I am, your 'parse' professor. What does parse mean? According to the brief definition, it is a technical term often used in computer science. It means to analyze an object specifically. For example, search engines will parse search phrases entered by users so they can accurately search for each word. I hope to parse tools, programs, theories, and practices to provide learners a clear explanation about a certain tool related to educational and instructional technology.

I want to inspire you to seek out which technology tools will support your life-long learning. There are many technology tools out there. How does one decide which to use? For what? When? How? Each week I will post about an area of technology. I’ll discuss some benefits and challenges. Sound good?  We live in a digital society with a digital divide. My goal for this blog is to inspire and motivate my readers to learn more about what they are using and the possibilities technology can provide. I welcome discussions, questions, thoughts, comments, etc. Become engaged and excited about how to use technology. Note; I promise not to get “too technical”.

This week’s picture is my 2 year old interacting with an app on our iPad. The iPad is not just for toddlers. For the last two semesters, all of the graduate students in my night course receive an iPad for the entire semester. While all show signs of excitement when they receive it the first night, I do see signs of apprehension. Why is this? Technology can be overwhelming. If you are feeling overwhelmed, follow my blog. Let’s grow and learn together. For example, if my two year old can figure out an iPad, so can you!