9) What does research say about using Interactive Whiteboards? What are the pros and cons? Would you want to have one in your classroom?

I think interactive whiteboards are an excellent asset for the classroom and provide a much better visual representation than standard whiteboards and flipcharts.  You can teach more content, more effectively.

"Interactive whiteboards are used in many schools as replacements for traditional whiteboards or flipcharts. They provide ways to show students any thing which can be presented on a computer's desktop (educational software, web sites, and others). In addition, interactive whiteboards allow teachers to record their instruction and post the material for review by students at a later time. This can be a very effective instructional strategy for students who benefit from repetition, who need to see the material presented again, for students who are absent from school, for struggling learners, and for review for examinations. Brief instructional blocks can be recorded for review by students—they will see the exact presentation that occurred in the classroom with the teacher's audio input. This can help transform learning and instruction." (Wikipedia 8/07) http://rmtc.fsdb.k12.fl.us/tutorials/whiteboards.html

8) How does your current skill set compare to the NETS for teachers?

The following are the NETS skill set as found on http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-teachers/nets-for-teachers-2008.aspx

1. Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity

2. Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments

3. Model Digital-Age Work and Learning

4. Promote and Model Digital Citizenship and Responsibility

5. Engage in Professional Growth and Leadership

I feel that these values are built into the credentialing program at CLU.  I also work at a technology school which places a  strong emphasis on implementing advanced technology components into teaching.

7) What are the NETS for students?

NETS stands for National Education Technology Standards

Digital-Age Learning from http://www.iste.org/standards/nets-for-students.aspx

The new standards identify several higher-order thinking skills and digital citizenship as critical for students to learn effectively for a lifetime and live productively in our emerging global society. These areas include the ability to:

• Demonstrate creativity and innovation
• Communicate and collaborate
• Conduct research and use information
• Think critically, solve problems, and make decisions
• Use technology effectively and productively

6) How does motivation tie in to student success in the classroom? Give 3 examples of strategies to motivate today's students.

I found this website (http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/motivate.htm) with an article written by Matthew Weller, Los Angeles Business Journal, March 14, 2005

 Basic principles of motivation exist that are applicable to learning in any situation.

1. The environment can be used to focus the student's attention on what needs to be learned.

Teachers who create warm and accepting yet business-like atmospheres will promote persistent effort and favorable attitudes toward learning. This strategy will be successful in children and in adults. Interesting visual aids, such as booklets, posters, or practice equipment, motivate learners by capturing their attention and curiosity.

2. Incentives motivate learning.

Incentives include privileges and receiving praise from the instructor. The instructor determines an incentive that is likely to motivate an individual at a particular time. In a general learning situation, self-motivation without rewards will not succeed. Students must find satisfaction in learning based on the understanding that the goals are useful to them or, less commonly, based on the pure enjoyment of exploring new things.

3. Internal motivation is longer lasting and more self-directive than is external motivation, which must be repeatedly reinforced by praise or concrete rewards.

Some individuals -- particularly children of certain ages and some adults -- have little capacity for internal motivation and must be guided and reinforced constantly. The use of incentives is based on the principle that learning occurs more effectively when the student experiences feelings of satisfaction. Caution should be exercised in using external rewards when they are not absolutely necessary. Their use may be followed by a decline in internal motivation.

4. Learning is most effective when an individual is ready to learn, that is, when one wants to know something.

Sometimes the student's readiness to learn comes with time, and the instructor's role is to encourage its development. If a desired change in behavior is urgent, the instructor may need to supervised directly to ensure that the desired behavior occurs. If a student is not ready to learn, he or she may not be reliable in following instructions and therefore must be supervised and have the instructions repeated again and again.

5. Motivation is enhanced by the way in which the instructional material is organized.

In general, the best organized material makes the information meaningful to the individual. One method of organization includes relating new tasks to those already known. Other ways to relay meaning are to determine whether the persons being taught understand the final outcome desired and instruct them to compare and contrast ideas.

We are firm believesr in PBS (positive behavior support) I think this is one example of motivating students. Kids want instant gratification and if they can be rewarded for doing well on certain things, or for showing motivation then by all means I am for it. I also think providing opportunities for students to succeed by assigning things that are not too easy or too difficult to ensure success really increases kid’s motivation. Lastly I would love to incorporate more technology into the classroom. Having a student read a book versus reading online or using a program on the computer increases the students motivations to learn.

5) How does the US compare to other like-minded countries in our education system? What are our strengths and/or weakness?

We are falling behind compared to other countries and our education system. We have one of the highest dropout rates, and we also have the biggest achievement gap. The only strength I would say the US has is that our school system is free. Lately our school systems have taken a back seat to everything else.

4) OPINION: Do we need more or less emphasis of either Core Knowledge or 21st Century Learning Skills? How would we go about it?

I think for my position and working with student with special needs, we need more core knowledge. In that I would like to supply all of my students with the basic knowledge they need in order to succeed and move higher up on the educational skills. That requires getting rid of grade and core curriculum for students who are in 4^th grade but are operating at a kinder level. How am I able to teach core curriculum to students who do not have the core knowledge to begin with?

3) How does current education practice apply both 21st Century Learning Skills and Core Knowledge?

The 21st century learning skills provides a foundation for each specific learning area and where the child needs to be in order to be able to learn. Core knowledge does something similar. Currently working in a Special Education class I believe my IEPs for each student uses both of these practices by laying a foundation for each student, assessing where they are at currently and then building on their declarative knowledge to achieve a maximum learning environment.