McLuhan's+Tetrad

For week 2, we used McLuhan's Tetrad to look at emerging technology and its benefits to teachers and students.

McLuhan's Tetrad & Dropbox
by Rachel Burkett

Dropbox is an emerging technology that uses cloud storage to store data and sync it to multiple computers and cell phones. Users use the program to select files and folders they would like synced to multiple locations. As long as there is an Internet connection, Dropbox will automatically download the new data to the computer. Using the software on the phone application, users have access to documents and can share them via email directly from the phone, helpful if the user is nowhere near a computer. The technology itself eliminates the need for USB drives, as well as the need for manual syncing, as long as the content is under 2gb. Teachers and students will typically use documents with this program, and those files are usually not large in size. It rekindles the desire to keep files, pictures, documents, and more safe, just like physical objects. Users want to make sure the files are available in more than one location, just in case. In the future it might be replaced by better syncing options and larger cloud storage space. Right now, space is limited to free users, and paid space is meant for businesses, costing far too much. Teachers and students can benefit from this technology in schools. Teachers have important school (not personal student data) files stored in multiple locations, and students can use it to store/work on files between school and home. If schools are purchasing USB drives for teachers and students, Dropbox allows them to cut the cost. Users only need an email address to sign up. Funds that originally were used for USB drives could be diverted elswhere.

When I look at using Turnitin below in an educational setting, I feel that it works best in the middle school and above area. My students do write research essays, but not very many, as they are being exposed to writing many types of essays that do not require research. Turnitin can be a great spring board for teaching middle schoolers the finer points of research and plagiarism. Schools that use Turnitin may see a much lower average of plagiarism in general, especially if students submit the work themselves and see exactly where they have copied. Teachers could meet with the student who have a high similarity index, and discuss how that occurs, giving them the chance to make changes to their essay before submitting it. As Sarah stated, it makes the process of grading and returning easier, and takes up less space. No chance of teachers spilling coffee on the papers either, unless their keyboard has an unfortunate accident. The work then follows students, and teachers have a trail of essays that show student progress through the years.

McLuhan's Tetrad & Turnitin
by Sarah Pottle

Crammed into my tiny eighth-grade English classroom are eight boxes of folders that have followed my 120 students around since sixth grade. These folders contain every formal essay that my students have ever written in their short time at our middle school, and I rarely open them. This day in age, it seems quite archaic that we have to have physical portfolios that will need to be sifted through and physically sent to the high school to be stored when my students graduate. The reason for these physical portfolios is so that they can include teacher feedback and hand-written student reflections. The answer to this is simple: teachers grade the paper electronically, and students reflect electronically. Turnitin is an application that is obviously used in our graduate program and is being used in some district high schools; however, it has not yet been supported at any middle schools in our district. Instead of word-processing an essay and keeping it on a physical hard drive or flash drive, Turnitin allows for students to keep an electronic portfolio of their work in a safe place that cannot be physically damaged. Teachers are able to set up due dates, and students know right away when something has been turned in or not. There is no opportunity for students to create excuses about turning in a paper that must have been lost. In addition, Turnitin allows for students to see how much of their paper is original, if anything is plagiarized, how many varying sources have been used, and much more. Consequently, it makes grading easier for teachers, as they can easily check grammar, citations, and scan for plagiarism. Teachers can quickly type comments often faster than hand-writing them, and the whole project is not physically stored anywhere, taking up valuable space or resources such as paper and ink. This obsoletes the old method of hauling crates full of research papers back and forth from school to coffee shop to home to school again. All teachers need is a laptop and an internet connection, and they can grade an essay anywhere at any time. Especially with the introduction of the Common Core Standards, which my state is going through, even non-English teachers will have an easier time grading essays, especially if they are uncomfortable with grammar conventions and plagiarism rules. Additionally, this technology allows for storing of mulitmedia assessment, which currently cannot be kept in a physical portfolio. When this technology is considered, it almost makes paper-pencil grading seem like an archaic form of assessment!

Rachel pointed out that Dropbox (above) is an excellent way for anybody, especially teachers and students, to store their files. I love the idea about students and teachers sharing different files via a Dropbox account! It makes sense that the class could have an account and that the teacher would provide access information to all students. What a great way for the students to obtain documents from anywhere!