Assignment: Roblyer Post

Read the Roblyer article and post a response to one of the following issues in your blog.

#1 Bereiter (1990) initially supported direct instruction and later shifted to constructivist principles. Two metaphors are used to describe his current view of the tension among theories of learning. What are the two metaphors? Do you agree with this view? Why or why not?

#2 What is the difference between acquiring knowledge and the employment of knowledge as described by Tennyson (1990) in the article?

#3 What is the "new instructional formula" and what is the role technology will play? What does Roblyer (2000) say is the job of a proficient technology-oriented teacher?

Click on Me

Now that you're all experienced using clickers, if you'd like to learn more about using clickers and the effect they have in the classroom check out this article or watch the video from YouTube.

Here's Jared

So, here are a few things you should know about me. I am from Salt Lake City; I've lived here all my life. In fact, I still live in the home I grew up in (I bought it from my parents - important note: I don't live with my parents!). I am married to wonderful woman, Tara, and have two amazing kids, Kennedy (age 2) and Alex (1 year). I have worked at the University of Utah for 4 years and love everything about it. Campus is a wonderful place and I'm glad I've had the opportunity to come back - I earned my bachelors and my masters here. I am a huge sports fan and love the Utes, Red Sox, and the Jazz. My hobbies include playing basketball, blogging, geocaching, camping, and an occasional tea party with a two-year-old.

I got into education because I love to help people learn. There's nothing better than helping someone try to reach an untapped potential. Whether it's a 16-year-old reading a book for the first time, or a college Sophomore realizing they can be a great teacher - I love the spark that good teaching adds to someone's life. My 4 years in public education were amazing. I loved the students, the other teachers, the activities - it was such a great time in my life. I've been teaching for the Utah Education Network for 4 years now and am still excited about teaching.

Technology is a wonderful way to help students get excited about learning. Kids are motivated by activities in which they can explore and develop their own ideas, technology is tailor-made for today's students. I can't imagine a classroom where technology doesn't play a vital role in the learning process, still it can't replace good teaching and solid curriculum. It's so important we learn how to use technology to help us teach fundamental concepts. The classroom of tomorrow should more than a high-tech laser show.

Creating a Blog

For those of you who are concerned about the process of creating a blog this short video should put your fears at rest.

Assignment: Introduction Post

This is your big chance to introduce yourself to the class! Post an entry to your new blog in which you do the following:

• Tell us about yourself - your interests, hobbies, background


• Discuss why you want to be a teacher- high pay, vacation time, love of chalk


• Talk about how you'd like to use technology in your future classroom

For homework, upload a photo of yourself to this post. Show your personality!

Copyright and you

Last week we discussed the idea of using materials that aren't covered under copyright restrictions. I recently discovered a little video to give you more information about what constitutes copyright law and what materials are appropriate to use.

Welcome to T & L 5141

This semester we will be using blogs to communicate about class readings and activities. If you don't have a blog yet, you can sign up for one through Blogger. Some of you may be experienced bloggers, for others this will be a new experience. In the end, I hope all of you will find this a great way to share your thoughts about technology in education.