If I were to rate this Technology in Education class on a scale of 1-10, 1 being learning nothing new, and 10 being overwhelmed with new and engaging material, I would without a doubt rate it as a 10. Overwhelmed, in some classes, might be a bad thing, but this is not the case of Tech in Ed. One of the things that we talked about last night is that this class prepared us with a plethora of resources, and not only the resources themselves, but the skills and the confidence to take the initiative and go learn about new programs to see if they would beneficial to one day integrate into the class.
I think one thing that this class has helped me with is confidence in approaching technology. Learning new technology can be very intimidating, but this class helped me to realize all of the awesome resources available (a lot of them for free) and if I'm interested in the program to just go for it: mess around with the tools, see what it can do, etc. It was really cool to see everyone's final presentations and all of the different tools and programs that they presented. I want to go back to many of those sites and mess around with them over the summer (so thank you Professor Sorenson for reading my mind creating a blog where we can access all of these!) As one of my fellow students said last night, this class has helped to make us aware about the need for technology integration into classes, the benefit it can have in engaging students, the accessibility of many of the resources for teachers, and the simplicity of the programs, all to result in giving us teachers a desire to search out the technological and educational world. Technology can be integrated in such creative manners that can make classes more engaging and relevant to the students of toady, and I am glad that I have been made aware and prepared to take advantage of this.
As I reflected on my NETS, I laughed as I naively and foolishly set a goal to make a few different powerpoints over the semester with no relation to any other classes than I'm taking. While I didn't fulfill this goal, I think that I learned something that will be more valuable to me as a teacher and a person who desires to have a life outside of school too: Beg, Borrow, and Steal! Why reinvent the wheel? There are a multitude of outstanding resources available. Now here is where the NETS standards come in. When I find these resources that I want to use in my class, the NETS standards are good to use to evaluate how effective this resource actually is. The NETS standards are very practical and are a good way to keep yourself in check as a teacher to help integrate technology into education for your students as effectively and as beneficially as possible.
Thank you so much Professor Sorenson for an engaging semester that helped me to grow as a future teacher and helped to open my eyes to the benefits and necessities to the TechEd world!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Reflection # 12
What: Developing an Online Personality
So What: When interacting with people online, it is easy, and even tempting, to present oneself in a manner that is slightly different than how someone would encounter you in person. I think most people have a tendency to do this at some level, although not always to an extreme measure. For example, I think just about everybody participates in this one: Posting facebook pictures. People love to put pictures of themselves doing interesting activities or in intruiging places. People also love to put ONLY the good pictures of themselves online. Why do we do this? Because we want to put our best selves forward and show people that we are beautiful and interesting people. Some people even go to extremes and create completely different alternative egos. Is all of this wrong? Or are some things okay to do in some situations but not others? Or should people be free to do whatever they want? This video is a funny song by Brad Paisley that addresses this topic, and even though it is country (for all you haters) it is a funny presentation on this real issue. ***There might be some things that might be offensive to some, a little bit of language, and some content that is relevant to the online alter-ego dilemma, but i don't think it's enough to take away from the message, so if you want to check it out click the youtube link below***:
READ ***ABOVE*** BEFORE CLICKING LINK!
Online by Brad Paisley
Now What: This concept is important for each person to consider because we all interact with people or present oursevles in the online community. It's important to figure out morally about how far we are willing to let our creativity and imagination affect our online personalities, and when it is important to present ourselves as accurately and truthfully to our actual personalities as possible.
So What: When interacting with people online, it is easy, and even tempting, to present oneself in a manner that is slightly different than how someone would encounter you in person. I think most people have a tendency to do this at some level, although not always to an extreme measure. For example, I think just about everybody participates in this one: Posting facebook pictures. People love to put pictures of themselves doing interesting activities or in intruiging places. People also love to put ONLY the good pictures of themselves online. Why do we do this? Because we want to put our best selves forward and show people that we are beautiful and interesting people. Some people even go to extremes and create completely different alternative egos. Is all of this wrong? Or are some things okay to do in some situations but not others? Or should people be free to do whatever they want? This video is a funny song by Brad Paisley that addresses this topic, and even though it is country (for all you haters) it is a funny presentation on this real issue. ***There might be some things that might be offensive to some, a little bit of language, and some content that is relevant to the online alter-ego dilemma, but i don't think it's enough to take away from the message, so if you want to check it out click the youtube link below***:
READ ***ABOVE*** BEFORE CLICKING LINK!
Online by Brad Paisley
Now What: This concept is important for each person to consider because we all interact with people or present oursevles in the online community. It's important to figure out morally about how far we are willing to let our creativity and imagination affect our online personalities, and when it is important to present ourselves as accurately and truthfully to our actual personalities as possible.
Reflection #11
What: When technology fails you
So What: Technology can be a tremendous help in a person's every day life. But what happens when the technology that we are depending on fails to come through? Should there be a balance on how dependent we become on technology? Just last week in class, my laptop went on the fritz and started making noises similar to a fire alarm at volumes that I didn't even know were possible for a laptop. Not to mention that this happened the last week of classes before finals. Fortunately this semester, the only real need that I have to access documents and projects on my laptop is for my tech in ed class, which is where I was keeping my final project. Finally, I was able to get my project off my laptop as well, even though my computer is still far from okay.
Now What: It is important to have a couple different strategies in the back of one's mind for occasions like this when our technology goes haywire. First, it is important to back up everything on your hard drive to an external source. This could save a lot of work from being lost in case your computer crashes. It's also good to know how long your warranty lasts on your computer or even purchase an extended warranty for your computer for service from the pros. Also, have back up plans available, especially when preparing to teach, in case a technological device that you planned on using doesn't pull through. This way, the lesson can still be saved and won't go down as a flop. Finally, thank you Professor Sorenson for being understanding of my tech problems = )
So What: Technology can be a tremendous help in a person's every day life. But what happens when the technology that we are depending on fails to come through? Should there be a balance on how dependent we become on technology? Just last week in class, my laptop went on the fritz and started making noises similar to a fire alarm at volumes that I didn't even know were possible for a laptop. Not to mention that this happened the last week of classes before finals. Fortunately this semester, the only real need that I have to access documents and projects on my laptop is for my tech in ed class, which is where I was keeping my final project. Finally, I was able to get my project off my laptop as well, even though my computer is still far from okay.
Now What: It is important to have a couple different strategies in the back of one's mind for occasions like this when our technology goes haywire. First, it is important to back up everything on your hard drive to an external source. This could save a lot of work from being lost in case your computer crashes. It's also good to know how long your warranty lasts on your computer or even purchase an extended warranty for your computer for service from the pros. Also, have back up plans available, especially when preparing to teach, in case a technological device that you planned on using doesn't pull through. This way, the lesson can still be saved and won't go down as a flop. Finally, thank you Professor Sorenson for being understanding of my tech problems = )
Monday, April 26, 2010
Assignment #4-Technology Project
Welcome to Biology Intro Video:
Delicious Page
List of Features:
-Delicious Website
-Storing and Organizing websites that I want to come back to
-Flip Video
-Record Videos
-Upload to Computer
-Edit Clip -Use Magic Moviemaker to create video
-Set song to background
Issues:
-Delicious: Fairly straightforward and easy to use, didn't know how to bundle categories
-Flip Video: Initially I had trouble charging the flip video, but after I finally got it to once, there wasn't an issue after that. The battery life is fairly good, but still dies relatively quickly, and ONLY charges via USB port. Downloading the Flip Video program was fine and straight forward, but for some reason, the program always closes when I try to add a title to my video, so I forfeited adding a title, which isn't a huge deal, but is a nice touch. I also wish that there was a way to record audio with the program to add to the video. There is probably a way around this such as recording your audio bit and uploading it to itunes, and then playing the audio bit as your music background, but this would likely be pretty difficult to get the timing right, and you wouldn't be able to use music at all, unless you recorded it in your audio at the same time.
Importance of Project:
This project was very beneficial in learning how to use the flip video. If given the opportunity in the future, I would definitely incorporate flip videos into my curriculum, helping to bring the real outside world into the classroom, to make lessons more relevant and engaging to students. How I would specifically use this project is to use the Delicious account to help me stay organized in all of my teacher resources and research. I would use the flip video that I made to open up the first day of school, as an introductory attention getter. This video and Delicious combination would also be an example of a project that I would assign to my students later in the semester (if applicable, depending on availability of flip videos). Students would use Delicious accounts to collect and organize research on various topics of biology. They would then choose one area and use the research in order to aid them in making a flip video on the topic to share with the class.
NETS Standards:
This project touches on many of the NETS Standards for both teachers and students (because this project will serve as an example of a project that I will assign my studets during the semester). For the Teachers standards, this project hits on:
1) Facilitate and Inspire Student 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
On the Students' side, this project would meet the following NETS Standards:
1) Creativity and Innovation
2) Communication and Collaboration
3) Research and Information Fluency
4) Critical Thinking, Problem Soving, and Decision Making
5) Digital Citizenship
6) Technology Operations and Concepts
Students will work together in groups for this project (NETS standard #2). They will each create a Delicious account where they will store links to information that they research on the group topic online (NETS Standards #3 and #6). Students will use the research that they have conducted to make a video to present the information in an interesting and engaging way (NETS Standards #1, #4, #5, and #6) which they will then present to the class.
Delicious Page
List of Features:
-Delicious Website
-Storing and Organizing websites that I want to come back to
-Flip Video
-Record Videos
-Upload to Computer
-Edit Clip -Use Magic Moviemaker to create video
-Set song to background
Issues:
-Delicious: Fairly straightforward and easy to use, didn't know how to bundle categories
-Flip Video: Initially I had trouble charging the flip video, but after I finally got it to once, there wasn't an issue after that. The battery life is fairly good, but still dies relatively quickly, and ONLY charges via USB port. Downloading the Flip Video program was fine and straight forward, but for some reason, the program always closes when I try to add a title to my video, so I forfeited adding a title, which isn't a huge deal, but is a nice touch. I also wish that there was a way to record audio with the program to add to the video. There is probably a way around this such as recording your audio bit and uploading it to itunes, and then playing the audio bit as your music background, but this would likely be pretty difficult to get the timing right, and you wouldn't be able to use music at all, unless you recorded it in your audio at the same time.
Importance of Project:
This project was very beneficial in learning how to use the flip video. If given the opportunity in the future, I would definitely incorporate flip videos into my curriculum, helping to bring the real outside world into the classroom, to make lessons more relevant and engaging to students. How I would specifically use this project is to use the Delicious account to help me stay organized in all of my teacher resources and research. I would use the flip video that I made to open up the first day of school, as an introductory attention getter. This video and Delicious combination would also be an example of a project that I would assign to my students later in the semester (if applicable, depending on availability of flip videos). Students would use Delicious accounts to collect and organize research on various topics of biology. They would then choose one area and use the research in order to aid them in making a flip video on the topic to share with the class.
NETS Standards:
This project touches on many of the NETS Standards for both teachers and students (because this project will serve as an example of a project that I will assign my studets during the semester). For the Teachers standards, this project hits on:
1) Facilitate and Inspire Student 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
On the Students' side, this project would meet the following NETS Standards:
1) Creativity and Innovation
2) Communication and Collaboration
3) Research and Information Fluency
4) Critical Thinking, Problem Soving, and Decision Making
5) Digital Citizenship
6) Technology Operations and Concepts
Students will work together in groups for this project (NETS standard #2). They will each create a Delicious account where they will store links to information that they research on the group topic online (NETS Standards #3 and #6). Students will use the research that they have conducted to make a video to present the information in an interesting and engaging way (NETS Standards #1, #4, #5, and #6) which they will then present to the class.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Reflection #10
What: The iPad (inspired by Dr. Kowalski's presentation in class Tuesday)
So What: The iPad is an extremely cool gadget that Dr. Kowalski presented in class. It has great storage capabilities and applications that can be downloaded to serve any person's interests/needs. Not to mention it's extreme ability to download quickly and move from one thing to the next in a speed that is quick enough to keep up with anybody's downloading or search needs provides not only a cool personal gadget, but a great tool to use for teaching and lecturing. Notes, textbooks, regular books, documents, papers, etc can easily be stored on the iPad, you can even access the screen to your own computer! This an extremely helpful tool for teaching and learning, and is easily transportable as well.
Now What: I want one! I've been considering getting a new lap top for a little bit, but after Dr. Kowalski's presentation, I might just save up for the iPad instead. My old laptop is still good for writing papers, but it is a pain to tote around, and the majority of the time, not quick enough for things I want to do. The iPad would be a great addition to my personal belongings because I could use it to "consume" information, take notes in class, etc, and still have my good old lap top to write papers and do more "creating". Time to start saving = )
So What: The iPad is an extremely cool gadget that Dr. Kowalski presented in class. It has great storage capabilities and applications that can be downloaded to serve any person's interests/needs. Not to mention it's extreme ability to download quickly and move from one thing to the next in a speed that is quick enough to keep up with anybody's downloading or search needs provides not only a cool personal gadget, but a great tool to use for teaching and lecturing. Notes, textbooks, regular books, documents, papers, etc can easily be stored on the iPad, you can even access the screen to your own computer! This an extremely helpful tool for teaching and learning, and is easily transportable as well.
Now What: I want one! I've been considering getting a new lap top for a little bit, but after Dr. Kowalski's presentation, I might just save up for the iPad instead. My old laptop is still good for writing papers, but it is a pain to tote around, and the majority of the time, not quick enough for things I want to do. The iPad would be a great addition to my personal belongings because I could use it to "consume" information, take notes in class, etc, and still have my good old lap top to write papers and do more "creating". Time to start saving = )
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Reflection # 9
What: So this is concerning something Professor Sorenson said in class today about the probability that all of us will someday teach an online course.
So What: I would be fine with teaching an online course or two in the future. However, I would have to think long and hard about teaching if all education transitioned into online courses. With online classes, the personal connections and relationships are somewhat lost over the internet. While there are some really cool things that can be done with online education, part of my desire to go into teaching is having that interactive-ness with students.
Now What: The deciding factor of this dilemma, should education one day totally transition into online learning/classes, would be for me to actually experience an online course. Perhaps it wouldn't be as distant as I imagine, and I'm sure that the classroom relationship expereince would depend on how I the teacher set up the online course. Overall, it will be interesting to see where online schooling goes in the future.
So What: I would be fine with teaching an online course or two in the future. However, I would have to think long and hard about teaching if all education transitioned into online courses. With online classes, the personal connections and relationships are somewhat lost over the internet. While there are some really cool things that can be done with online education, part of my desire to go into teaching is having that interactive-ness with students.
Now What: The deciding factor of this dilemma, should education one day totally transition into online learning/classes, would be for me to actually experience an online course. Perhaps it wouldn't be as distant as I imagine, and I'm sure that the classroom relationship expereince would depend on how I the teacher set up the online course. Overall, it will be interesting to see where online schooling goes in the future.
Reflection #8
This reflection is kind of piggy backed off of one of Bethany's reflections. It's something that I've thought about before, and reading Bethany's blog reminded me of it, so here is my idea. It may apply more at the college level, but perhaps could be used in pre-collegiate education as well.
What: Having a company that runs a website in collaboration with text book companies so that students can download books, even chapters of books rather than buying a whole book that the student doesn't need.
So What: This could be a revolutionary idea that saves students money as well as helps to make managing all the books that students will have easier. Students can focus on chapters that will be covered in class without having to purchase material that they will never look at.
Now What: I think the tricky thing with this idea would be to get text book companies to join in with this type of program, because I think that they would not be making as much money as they do now, but maybe there would be some companies that see the benefit for students.
What: Having a company that runs a website in collaboration with text book companies so that students can download books, even chapters of books rather than buying a whole book that the student doesn't need.
So What: This could be a revolutionary idea that saves students money as well as helps to make managing all the books that students will have easier. Students can focus on chapters that will be covered in class without having to purchase material that they will never look at.
Now What: I think the tricky thing with this idea would be to get text book companies to join in with this type of program, because I think that they would not be making as much money as they do now, but maybe there would be some companies that see the benefit for students.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Week 14-The Future of Technology and Education
I found the following article for this assignment:
The Future of Technology and Education
This article expressed many of the same themes that have been expressed in various articles that we have read throughout the semester. There were some however that were expressed differently or emphasized in a particular that stood out to me. The themes of the article include:
-The American School System needs to change to incorporate more technology
-School District and Administration need to find a way to provide equipments, software, and proper training and workshops for teachers
-Students' quality of education will only be shortchanged the longer we put off making adjustments
-These adjustments are necessary for kids to work in today's society and compete and contribute to global economics
-People expect technology in their everyday lives, it's time that our classes catch up
The author had many interesting points that emphasized how essential it is to get everybody onboard to continue integrating technology into the classrooms, including administrators, parents, teachers, and students.
The Future of Technology and Education
This article expressed many of the same themes that have been expressed in various articles that we have read throughout the semester. There were some however that were expressed differently or emphasized in a particular that stood out to me. The themes of the article include:
-The American School System needs to change to incorporate more technology
-School District and Administration need to find a way to provide equipments, software, and proper training and workshops for teachers
-Students' quality of education will only be shortchanged the longer we put off making adjustments
-These adjustments are necessary for kids to work in today's society and compete and contribute to global economics
-People expect technology in their everyday lives, it's time that our classes catch up
The author had many interesting points that emphasized how essential it is to get everybody onboard to continue integrating technology into the classrooms, including administrators, parents, teachers, and students.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Reflection #7
What:
Borrowing, Begging, and Stealing is way more effective than original creation.
So What:
A huge part of being a teacher is about being creative. At first, this may seem like being creative enough to come up with your own curriculum, lesson plans, etc. And part of this is, however another aspect of being a teacher is to be wise about distribution of resources. This includes where you put your time. While some things may require you to come up with your own methods, these things take up a huge amount of time. As I've heard many teachers say, "Why reinvent the wheel?" Of course, it is essential to exercise proper etiquette when using other teacher's ideas, but when you have their permission, this will save you a ton of time in the developmental department and allow you to use this time in other departments that will further your teaching awesomeness.
Now What:
Keep an eye open, especially when participating in student teaching, and visiting other people's classrooms for great ideas. Take a camera and document these things so that you can reenact them later. Visit as many different classrooms and teachers as possible to get a wide variety of things that you could possibly incorporate into your classroom.
Borrowing, Begging, and Stealing is way more effective than original creation.
So What:
A huge part of being a teacher is about being creative. At first, this may seem like being creative enough to come up with your own curriculum, lesson plans, etc. And part of this is, however another aspect of being a teacher is to be wise about distribution of resources. This includes where you put your time. While some things may require you to come up with your own methods, these things take up a huge amount of time. As I've heard many teachers say, "Why reinvent the wheel?" Of course, it is essential to exercise proper etiquette when using other teacher's ideas, but when you have their permission, this will save you a ton of time in the developmental department and allow you to use this time in other departments that will further your teaching awesomeness.
Now What:
Keep an eye open, especially when participating in student teaching, and visiting other people's classrooms for great ideas. Take a camera and document these things so that you can reenact them later. Visit as many different classrooms and teachers as possible to get a wide variety of things that you could possibly incorporate into your classroom.
Week 13-Word, Excel, and Powerpoint
Word:
-I mainly use Word to write papers for class
-I have used it to create brochures/pamphlets for presentations
Excel:
-I currently use Excel for work to keep track of inventory of chemicals for the science department
Powerpoint:
-I use powerpoint to create a visual background for class presentations
-I frequently use Powerpoint to access class notes posted online by my teachers.
The following are projects I could assign to my class to help them become familiar with these programs.
1) This project would be used to incorporate both Word and Powerpoint. Students will each pick a topic concerning the implications of biology on society today. They will do reasearch about their topic and create annotated bibliographies, topical outlines, and a final paper using Word. Students will then present their papers to the class using Powerpoint as a visual aid in their presentation, and they will use Word to make pamphlets/brochures to hand out to their classmates going over the main points that they touch on.
2) The second project is to incorporate the use of Excel. Students will go out into an area of a community in groups of four and conduct a survey of the different types of plants and their dominance in within a certain range. Students will present their findings in table that they create using and Excel program.
-I mainly use Word to write papers for class
-I have used it to create brochures/pamphlets for presentations
Excel:
-I currently use Excel for work to keep track of inventory of chemicals for the science department
Powerpoint:
-I use powerpoint to create a visual background for class presentations
-I frequently use Powerpoint to access class notes posted online by my teachers.
The following are projects I could assign to my class to help them become familiar with these programs.
1) This project would be used to incorporate both Word and Powerpoint. Students will each pick a topic concerning the implications of biology on society today. They will do reasearch about their topic and create annotated bibliographies, topical outlines, and a final paper using Word. Students will then present their papers to the class using Powerpoint as a visual aid in their presentation, and they will use Word to make pamphlets/brochures to hand out to their classmates going over the main points that they touch on.
2) The second project is to incorporate the use of Excel. Students will go out into an area of a community in groups of four and conduct a survey of the different types of plants and their dominance in within a certain range. Students will present their findings in table that they create using and Excel program.
Week 12: K-12 Online Conference
I listened to the pre-conference key note speaker classroom teacher and international educator Kim Cofino. Below is a link to watch her video presentation:
Going Global: Culture Shock, Convergence and the Future of Education
This was a very intriguing presentation as a lot of it dealed with teaching overseas in another culture. This is something that is very interesting to me and would pursue the opportunity to be able to participate in an expereince like this should one arise.
The speaker had many interseting points, and it was also a cool perspective to get to learn more about international schools. Prior to this, I really didn't know very much about international schools, but now I can see that they are a very unique community, and it would be a unique position to teach in.
I liked that the presentation inculded interviews from many different people across the world touching a number of people from a wide range of ages through the use of a webcam.
One of the most useful things that I learned from the presentation came towards the end and was about building a network of relationships of teachers from other countries. This can be done by using skype and other online resources. Once a relationship has been established, it is easy to do differnet projects with the other classroom to help expose kids to cross cultural experiences through technology, which would be very cool.
Going Global: Culture Shock, Convergence and the Future of Education
This was a very intriguing presentation as a lot of it dealed with teaching overseas in another culture. This is something that is very interesting to me and would pursue the opportunity to be able to participate in an expereince like this should one arise.
The speaker had many interseting points, and it was also a cool perspective to get to learn more about international schools. Prior to this, I really didn't know very much about international schools, but now I can see that they are a very unique community, and it would be a unique position to teach in.
I liked that the presentation inculded interviews from many different people across the world touching a number of people from a wide range of ages through the use of a webcam.
One of the most useful things that I learned from the presentation came towards the end and was about building a network of relationships of teachers from other countries. This can be done by using skype and other online resources. Once a relationship has been established, it is easy to do differnet projects with the other classroom to help expose kids to cross cultural experiences through technology, which would be very cool.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Week 11-Educational blog
I used teachhub.com to find an educational blog. The one that I found postd helpful ideas on how to best prepare for yours and your students' absences to try and make things easier for you the teacher. You can read my comment by clicking the link below:
TeachHub Blog
There were many ideas that I liked in this article including the common info sheet for the sub, creating different (and slightly harder assignments) for the absentee, and making the homework available to students a week in advance by posting it online (resonates with my tech in ed class) to make it easier for students to keep up.
I also liked that I saw content area from two of my classes reflected in the material of the blog. In classrooom management, we are all about installing procedures to make your life easier, and this was a large emphasis in this blog. Also, for tech in ed, it was suggested that homework be put up a week at a time so that students can keep up the best they can when they are gone.
I hope that my comment (it was the first one) encouraged the writer in the ideas that she was putting out. I commented on my status as a student and the overlap that I saw with classes that I am currently taking. I also commented about the ideas that I really liked. However, I think what contributed the most to a community of learners was my comment about other methods that we've learned about preventing headaches for teachers due to absences by using tech resources such as videos and the SMART board.
TeachHub Blog
There were many ideas that I liked in this article including the common info sheet for the sub, creating different (and slightly harder assignments) for the absentee, and making the homework available to students a week in advance by posting it online (resonates with my tech in ed class) to make it easier for students to keep up.
I also liked that I saw content area from two of my classes reflected in the material of the blog. In classrooom management, we are all about installing procedures to make your life easier, and this was a large emphasis in this blog. Also, for tech in ed, it was suggested that homework be put up a week at a time so that students can keep up the best they can when they are gone.
I hope that my comment (it was the first one) encouraged the writer in the ideas that she was putting out. I commented on my status as a student and the overlap that I saw with classes that I am currently taking. I also commented about the ideas that I really liked. However, I think what contributed the most to a community of learners was my comment about other methods that we've learned about preventing headaches for teachers due to absences by using tech resources such as videos and the SMART board.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Week 10-NU Educators Panel
Here are some potential questions that I can ask the NU educators panel tomorrow in class:
1)Before entering the classroom, did you desire to integrate technology into your teaching? If so, are you as successful as you thought that you would be? Any unexpected challenges?
2)How much did student teaching prepare you for the classroom?
3)Are you ever intimidated by your student's knowledge of technology?
1)Before entering the classroom, did you desire to integrate technology into your teaching? If so, are you as successful as you thought that you would be? Any unexpected challenges?
2)How much did student teaching prepare you for the classroom?
3)Are you ever intimidated by your student's knowledge of technology?
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Assignment #3-Toolbox
For this assignment I chose to use Delicious to make my toolbox. The account was free and easy to set up. In fact, I wish that this was one of the first things that I had done so that I could have been saving websites throughout the semester to my account. Here is the link to my Delicious page:
My Delicious
So far, I haven't really done that much to organize my toolbox. However, the Delicious program makes it very easy to find things by allowing users to tag their websites. I can tag a website based on its content so I can quickly find sites relevant to the topic that I am looking for. Delicious also lists my top ten tags at the right side of the page. Some of my most popular tags are education, high school, science, and technology. So far, I've added sites that would be relevant to my future career. It's easiest to start by looking at websites that are most popular and have similar tags that you are looking for.
The toolbox will be a great way to save helpful webpages. These could be webpages that I am currently using for a unit or webpages that I come across that i could use in the future. This way, I will easily be able to access these webpages without the frustrating struggle of trying to relocate it when I need it. Delicious is helpful because you can find people who have similar tags as you so you can see there tags as they might have some helpful webpages that you haven't found yet. Other teachers can easily access my Delicious page to find resources that I have found helpful.
My Delicious
So far, I haven't really done that much to organize my toolbox. However, the Delicious program makes it very easy to find things by allowing users to tag their websites. I can tag a website based on its content so I can quickly find sites relevant to the topic that I am looking for. Delicious also lists my top ten tags at the right side of the page. Some of my most popular tags are education, high school, science, and technology. So far, I've added sites that would be relevant to my future career. It's easiest to start by looking at websites that are most popular and have similar tags that you are looking for.
The toolbox will be a great way to save helpful webpages. These could be webpages that I am currently using for a unit or webpages that I come across that i could use in the future. This way, I will easily be able to access these webpages without the frustrating struggle of trying to relocate it when I need it. Delicious is helpful because you can find people who have similar tags as you so you can see there tags as they might have some helpful webpages that you haven't found yet. Other teachers can easily access my Delicious page to find resources that I have found helpful.
Week 9-"Caught on Video"
There were a lot of really cool ideas of ways to incorporate videos into the classroom that Rob Spankle talked about in his blog "Caught on Video".
There were many ideas about how to turn many different aspects of the classroom and being a teacher into an approach that is more interactive. Some of the ideas that stuck out to me were 1) making video "newsletters" to send home that the kids help to make. Kids are more likely to make sure their parents see the video than hand them a typical newsletter. Record questions students have about a unit before it begins and later tape them answering the questions themselves after the unit has completed, 3) Film hooks outside of the classroom to relate lessons to the outside world and grab students attention, 4) make a video for a sub that will fill in to you where you can refer him/her to previous lesson videos, and 5)Record memories to make a class video at the end of the year.
These were just some of the many ideas that Spankle posted on his blog. When I read through all of them, my first thought was "Isn't this a little overkill? It's going to take so much time to do all of this." However, I don't think that Spnakle was trying to convince teachers that they should incorporate all of these ideas into their classroom, but show them that getting an easy to use and accessible video camera is a good investment because there are so many ways that you could use it. For many things, such as incorporating videos into lesson plans, it will take a lot of work initially, but from then on, it is set with maybe some minor tweaking in the future.
Overall, these ideas were very helpful in helping me to recognize the wide range of applications that a video camera could help to create in a classroom.
There were many ideas about how to turn many different aspects of the classroom and being a teacher into an approach that is more interactive. Some of the ideas that stuck out to me were 1) making video "newsletters" to send home that the kids help to make. Kids are more likely to make sure their parents see the video than hand them a typical newsletter. Record questions students have about a unit before it begins and later tape them answering the questions themselves after the unit has completed, 3) Film hooks outside of the classroom to relate lessons to the outside world and grab students attention, 4) make a video for a sub that will fill in to you where you can refer him/her to previous lesson videos, and 5)Record memories to make a class video at the end of the year.
These were just some of the many ideas that Spankle posted on his blog. When I read through all of them, my first thought was "Isn't this a little overkill? It's going to take so much time to do all of this." However, I don't think that Spnakle was trying to convince teachers that they should incorporate all of these ideas into their classroom, but show them that getting an easy to use and accessible video camera is a good investment because there are so many ways that you could use it. For many things, such as incorporating videos into lesson plans, it will take a lot of work initially, but from then on, it is set with maybe some minor tweaking in the future.
Overall, these ideas were very helpful in helping me to recognize the wide range of applications that a video camera could help to create in a classroom.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Week 8-Active Board
Here is a link to a cool website that aims to help teachers integrate the active board even more into their classrooms:
ActiveBoard
This website is helpful because it aims to help a variety of teachers to become more comfortable with integrating the ActiveBoard into more and more areas of their classroom.
There is an introduction and a review of some basic tools and techniques, but then the website splits off into links that take you to Activeboard material that relates to specific topical content. These included the arts, English and language arts, EAL, math, science, social studies, etc.
There were science resources that were available for grades K-12. This link provided resources of core curriculum that teachers can use to implement in their own classroom to save time and use creative content. It was the same concept of the SMART Board lessons that we looked up a few weeks ago.
ActiveBoard
This website is helpful because it aims to help a variety of teachers to become more comfortable with integrating the ActiveBoard into more and more areas of their classroom.
There is an introduction and a review of some basic tools and techniques, but then the website splits off into links that take you to Activeboard material that relates to specific topical content. These included the arts, English and language arts, EAL, math, science, social studies, etc.
There were science resources that were available for grades K-12. This link provided resources of core curriculum that teachers can use to implement in their own classroom to save time and use creative content. It was the same concept of the SMART Board lessons that we looked up a few weeks ago.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Reflection #4 Classroom management
What: Reflection of Classroom Management
So What: This class has been very eye opening this year in the importance of establishing a consistent and methodical way of approaching all of the components that go into maintaining control in the classroom environment so that students are able to learn. I never realized all of the little things that could throw off the "zen" learning environment of a classroom. Establishing rules, procedures, expectations, etc. are all very important to consider and have thought out beforehand so that there is consistency from day one when the teacher steps into the classroom. This class is interesting because it looks at both theories and real-life applciations so that there is a balance in being able to realistically develop your own classroom management method.
Now What: As the course continues throughout the semester, I'm becoming more and more aware of how important it is to have all of the little details previously planned out before starting teaching. As we are learning about differnt methods and even becoming aware of different situtations that I wouln't have considered until it was happening in front of me, I am beginning to shape out more and more in my mind of what I want my classroom to look like. The best thing that I could do, at the end of the class, is to make sure that I've taken note of all these differnt things that I've taken a preference towards so that I can keep them in mind for the future.
So What: This class has been very eye opening this year in the importance of establishing a consistent and methodical way of approaching all of the components that go into maintaining control in the classroom environment so that students are able to learn. I never realized all of the little things that could throw off the "zen" learning environment of a classroom. Establishing rules, procedures, expectations, etc. are all very important to consider and have thought out beforehand so that there is consistency from day one when the teacher steps into the classroom. This class is interesting because it looks at both theories and real-life applciations so that there is a balance in being able to realistically develop your own classroom management method.
Now What: As the course continues throughout the semester, I'm becoming more and more aware of how important it is to have all of the little details previously planned out before starting teaching. As we are learning about differnt methods and even becoming aware of different situtations that I wouln't have considered until it was happening in front of me, I am beginning to shape out more and more in my mind of what I want my classroom to look like. The best thing that I could do, at the end of the class, is to make sure that I've taken note of all these differnt things that I've taken a preference towards so that I can keep them in mind for the future.
Follow Up to Week 7 Post
Ok so I just went back to Garfield's website to get their URL to make a link so everyone can see it if they want...
Garfield High School
...and their picture slide show was a completely different set of pictures that included a much wider diversity of students, which totally defeats my critique in the last entry, so props to Garfield High, you guys rock the house.
Garfield High School
...and their picture slide show was a completely different set of pictures that included a much wider diversity of students, which totally defeats my critique in the last entry, so props to Garfield High, you guys rock the house.
Week 7-School Website
I chose Garfield High School because its website appeared easy to move about and find things. I liked the design of the website, it was visually appealing, and their information was easily accessible. I liked the "Student Life" link as it gave links to some important information including school conduct and life skill resources. They also had cool pictures of the basketball teams.
On the home page under a side of tabs was an option for “Student Life”. It was here that I found the link to the campus conduct. This list of school expectations gave guidelines that concerned grades nine through twelve. Expectations in the list included personal property (i.e. ipods, cell phones, etc), visitor protocol, loitering policies, dress guidelines, bicycle and car expectations, and participation standards for athletics, leadership, clubs, and activities, among others. Many of these rules and expectations were similar to those that were set at the high school I attended. There were also some, however, that were more strict, as well.
As far as lifeskills, there was a page dedicated to college and careers. This listed the contact information and office hours for those who work at the center. Along with this were a weekly bulletin, as well as career center resources and vocational apprenticeship programs. The college information provided information pertaining to ACT and SAT testing dates, general college information, scholarships, and college visits. This page was set up very clearly and had some helpful links that would portray high and positive expectations for their students.
There wasn't really anything missing or that I couldn't find on this webpage (which is why I chose it because it was so easy to navigate). However, if I were to suggest something to be improved on the page, I suppose that it would be more of a diversity of photos of the student life than just the athletics so that more of the school is represented. However, that is something that is easily fixable, and I'm sure they represent a different body of students at other times of the year.
On the home page under a side of tabs was an option for “Student Life”. It was here that I found the link to the campus conduct. This list of school expectations gave guidelines that concerned grades nine through twelve. Expectations in the list included personal property (i.e. ipods, cell phones, etc), visitor protocol, loitering policies, dress guidelines, bicycle and car expectations, and participation standards for athletics, leadership, clubs, and activities, among others. Many of these rules and expectations were similar to those that were set at the high school I attended. There were also some, however, that were more strict, as well.
As far as lifeskills, there was a page dedicated to college and careers. This listed the contact information and office hours for those who work at the center. Along with this were a weekly bulletin, as well as career center resources and vocational apprenticeship programs. The college information provided information pertaining to ACT and SAT testing dates, general college information, scholarships, and college visits. This page was set up very clearly and had some helpful links that would portray high and positive expectations for their students.
There wasn't really anything missing or that I couldn't find on this webpage (which is why I chose it because it was so easy to navigate). However, if I were to suggest something to be improved on the page, I suppose that it would be more of a diversity of photos of the student life than just the athletics so that more of the school is represented. However, that is something that is easily fixable, and I'm sure they represent a different body of students at other times of the year.
Week 6-SMART Board reflection
The class presentations for the SMART Board activity was a lot of fun. It was great to see what types of lessons everybody found to present. This was helpful because no matter what the topic was, there were a lot of designs or activities that could be adapted and be used in a future lesson that I plan.
Another great aspect of the SMART Board session was the class participation. While some students participated more than others, I believe everybody participated at least once. As a teacher in the future, there could be a method drawn up to make sure that class participation is more even for all the students, and isn't dominated by a few.
Some questions that I still have about the SMART Board pertain to specific activities and lesson plan designs that I saw demonstrated during the period. The best way to answer these would be to look for those programs and to play around with them to figure out how they work.
Another great aspect of the SMART Board session was the class participation. While some students participated more than others, I believe everybody participated at least once. As a teacher in the future, there could be a method drawn up to make sure that class participation is more even for all the students, and isn't dominated by a few.
Some questions that I still have about the SMART Board pertain to specific activities and lesson plan designs that I saw demonstrated during the period. The best way to answer these would be to look for those programs and to play around with them to figure out how they work.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Assignment #2
Link:
The Living Cell
List of Features:
1) Sorting items containing living cells vs non-living cells
2) Quiz on properly identifying cell organelles
Nets for Students:
1) Research and Information Fluency
2) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
-These standards are met by the above activities because they require students to apply the information that they have learned and apply it to solve the puzzles and problems while using the SMART Board features.
Nets for Teachers:
1) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
-This standard is met by the above activities because the activities are are those of a problem solving/quiz-like nature. These will test how much the students have grasped the material so far and will help identify weaknesses.
Benefits of Interactive Boards in Classrooms:
A SMART Board could help student learning in the classroom because it helps to cover material at a quick rate to keep students engaged, but it also allows for concepts to easily be revisited that need to be reviewed. SMART Board allows for all kinds of resources to be pooled together to reach out to a diverse learning groups of students. For example, some of these things include power points, pictures, videos, music, audio, easy web access, hands on interaction, etc. Because the SMART Board is hands on, it is easy to engage your students because there are so many different activities and lesson plan designs available to test students on their knowledge. Students may not even be aware that they are being tested many times because the nature of the activities are so drastically different than traditional testing practices. Overall, SMART Boards have a great potential to engage students, keep them interested and increase understanding of material.
The Living Cell
List of Features:
1) Sorting items containing living cells vs non-living cells
2) Quiz on properly identifying cell organelles
Nets for Students:
1) Research and Information Fluency
2) Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
-These standards are met by the above activities because they require students to apply the information that they have learned and apply it to solve the puzzles and problems while using the SMART Board features.
Nets for Teachers:
1) Design and Develop Digital-Age Learning Experiences and Assessments
-This standard is met by the above activities because the activities are are those of a problem solving/quiz-like nature. These will test how much the students have grasped the material so far and will help identify weaknesses.
Benefits of Interactive Boards in Classrooms:
A SMART Board could help student learning in the classroom because it helps to cover material at a quick rate to keep students engaged, but it also allows for concepts to easily be revisited that need to be reviewed. SMART Board allows for all kinds of resources to be pooled together to reach out to a diverse learning groups of students. For example, some of these things include power points, pictures, videos, music, audio, easy web access, hands on interaction, etc. Because the SMART Board is hands on, it is easy to engage your students because there are so many different activities and lesson plan designs available to test students on their knowledge. Students may not even be aware that they are being tested many times because the nature of the activities are so drastically different than traditional testing practices. Overall, SMART Boards have a great potential to engage students, keep them interested and increase understanding of material.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Week 5-Edutopia Blog
What: Edutopia Blog-A Look to the Future of Education
Edutopia is a foundation that is dedicated to better enabling and supporting public educators is taking a step into the future and moving all of their work to the web. The group that previously published a bimonthly magazine is abandoning this form of media and moving completely to the Internet.
So What:
Edutopia realizes the enormous benefits that are to be had by publishing their work and research via the Internet. The information is more accessible to more people (free), it can go more in depth, be updated more quickly, respond to personal questions and needs, be available for more interactivity, post videos, etc. Edutopia will become a place of infinite information availability.
Now What:
Some of Edutopia's followers were excited about this move, others, however, were not far from utter disappointment. However, I do not believe that this was as a result of the integrity of Edutopia's information or quality of work. I am convinced that this is completely due to the digital natives vs digital immigrants generations. It is difficult for educators who have grown up in a certain lifestyle to be excited about something that is unfamiliar to them. However, I do feel that it is necessary to challenge them in their openness and thinking, as Edutopia's move will likely result in producing a more in depth and accurate database of information that will result in helping educators to be better.
Edutopia is a foundation that is dedicated to better enabling and supporting public educators is taking a step into the future and moving all of their work to the web. The group that previously published a bimonthly magazine is abandoning this form of media and moving completely to the Internet.
So What:
Edutopia realizes the enormous benefits that are to be had by publishing their work and research via the Internet. The information is more accessible to more people (free), it can go more in depth, be updated more quickly, respond to personal questions and needs, be available for more interactivity, post videos, etc. Edutopia will become a place of infinite information availability.
Now What:
Some of Edutopia's followers were excited about this move, others, however, were not far from utter disappointment. However, I do not believe that this was as a result of the integrity of Edutopia's information or quality of work. I am convinced that this is completely due to the digital natives vs digital immigrants generations. It is difficult for educators who have grown up in a certain lifestyle to be excited about something that is unfamiliar to them. However, I do feel that it is necessary to challenge them in their openness and thinking, as Edutopia's move will likely result in producing a more in depth and accurate database of information that will result in helping educators to be better.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Reflection #3 SMART Board Mania
What: Last week we downloaded the SMART Board program on our computers and took time in class to go through several stations to explore the tools and capabilities of the program.
So What: I am so excited to learn more about the SMART Boards and to start working on Assignment #2 which is all about the SMART Board! It was so fun in class last week to mess around and so what all the buttons and taps on the board could do.
Now What: Of course, there is still a lot to learn about the program and to become familiar with. Really, the best way to go about knowing the program better is to actually use it. I know that we will get a lot more practice in with the upcoming assignment, but I'm also considering making SMART Board presentations based on what I'm learning in my science classes. This could serve a multitude of purposes: 1) Becoming more familiar with the SMART Board program, 2) Developing a better comprehension of the material being talked about in my classes by being familiar with the notes to actually create the presentations, 3) Gaining experience of creating technology aided lessons for future teaching, and 4) Creating presentations that could actually be used in future teaching (science). Although this may be a bit more time consuming than just looking through my notes, I think this could be more beneficial if I can set the time aside to follow through with it.
So What: I am so excited to learn more about the SMART Boards and to start working on Assignment #2 which is all about the SMART Board! It was so fun in class last week to mess around and so what all the buttons and taps on the board could do.
Now What: Of course, there is still a lot to learn about the program and to become familiar with. Really, the best way to go about knowing the program better is to actually use it. I know that we will get a lot more practice in with the upcoming assignment, but I'm also considering making SMART Board presentations based on what I'm learning in my science classes. This could serve a multitude of purposes: 1) Becoming more familiar with the SMART Board program, 2) Developing a better comprehension of the material being talked about in my classes by being familiar with the notes to actually create the presentations, 3) Gaining experience of creating technology aided lessons for future teaching, and 4) Creating presentations that could actually be used in future teaching (science). Although this may be a bit more time consuming than just looking through my notes, I think this could be more beneficial if I can set the time aside to follow through with it.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Week 4-Generation IM
The stance of this article reflected similar views that we have read in class so far(i.e. "Digital Natives") The message is that if the education system doesn't change its tactics in approaching students and their learning processes, that school may become a place that is irrelevant in the learning department compared to the technology they are surrounded by outside the classroom.
A point that I thought was truly significant that I believe lots of teachers could probably identify with would be the concern of time. Many times, it's not that teachers are opposed to using technology in their classroom, but they simply do not have the time to learn the programs well enough to use them in their lesson plans and teach them proficiently.
I really enjoyed the ideas that were posted at the end of the article. These ideas are relevant to teachers and easily accessible as the URLs to get to these resources were also included.
My favorite of these seven ideas was the first one about creating a class blog. This is the easiest to accomplish (according the the knowledge I have now) and could be used for a variety of things including calenders to communicate with parents and students, as well as a place for students to turn in assignments.
A point that I thought was truly significant that I believe lots of teachers could probably identify with would be the concern of time. Many times, it's not that teachers are opposed to using technology in their classroom, but they simply do not have the time to learn the programs well enough to use them in their lesson plans and teach them proficiently.
I really enjoyed the ideas that were posted at the end of the article. These ideas are relevant to teachers and easily accessible as the URLs to get to these resources were also included.
My favorite of these seven ideas was the first one about creating a class blog. This is the easiest to accomplish (according the the knowledge I have now) and could be used for a variety of things including calenders to communicate with parents and students, as well as a place for students to turn in assignments.
"Beginning" of Semester Reflection
Now that we are three weeks into the semester, I think that what I have to say about technology's role in the classroom and in my life as a teacher has already been greatly influenced compared to what I would have said prior to any exposure to the class.
After reading the few articles that have been either assigned or researched, I am realizing more and more that being fluent in technology will result in better being able to reach my students. Not learning the technology of the day and simply sticking to more traditional ways of teaching will most likely put up a wall of misunderstanding between students and teacher.
Taking advantage of technology in the classroom also is exciting because there is so much room for variety, creativity, and ingenuity that teachers can incorporate into their lessons as well as students can use in projects and presentations. This is the direction that our world is moving, and me wanting to be a high school biology teacher is much more than me wanting to teach teenagers science. This is simply a passion of mine that I would like to share with others. However, being a science teacher serves as a doorway to be able to positively engage, interact, and help prepare the next generation to be able succeed and thrive in whatever path they choose to pursue, and hopefully helping the world and its people along the way. This is going to involve without a doubt as the world increasingly becomes more and more submersed into the technical world.
After reading the few articles that have been either assigned or researched, I am realizing more and more that being fluent in technology will result in better being able to reach my students. Not learning the technology of the day and simply sticking to more traditional ways of teaching will most likely put up a wall of misunderstanding between students and teacher.
Taking advantage of technology in the classroom also is exciting because there is so much room for variety, creativity, and ingenuity that teachers can incorporate into their lessons as well as students can use in projects and presentations. This is the direction that our world is moving, and me wanting to be a high school biology teacher is much more than me wanting to teach teenagers science. This is simply a passion of mine that I would like to share with others. However, being a science teacher serves as a doorway to be able to positively engage, interact, and help prepare the next generation to be able succeed and thrive in whatever path they choose to pursue, and hopefully helping the world and its people along the way. This is going to involve without a doubt as the world increasingly becomes more and more submersed into the technical world.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Reflection #2 The Intuitive Teacher
What: I'm very grateful for my professors here that are willing to take the time outside of class to meet with students who are seeking extra help. I am especially grateful for ones who recognize when I'm not performing up to my potential and take the extra time to understand why I'm not doing well and what I'm understanding, even when I might be too shy to seek out their help in the first place.
So What: I think that it is extremely important for teachers to be involved with their students to the point that they get a feel to what level their students generally perform at, as well as be conscious of further potential. It is pivotal that teachers develop this sort of intuition and be able to read when their students are struggling.
Now What: I'm sure this capability gets better and better with each added year of experience in teaching. Right now one of the best things that I could do to help develop this skill is to observe how my teachers each handle this. In this way I can see tactics that work and that I would like to imitate, as well as ones that I may not be in favor of replicating, and therefore choose an alternative. I hope that I not only develop this ability, but develop a type of presence that is inviting to students who may be falling behind. Should the students be too shy or embarrassed to seek help, I hope to have a quality that expresses a genuine desire to help that does not come across as demeaning of condescending.
Perhaps when my students realize that I'm truly a resource that they can trust and tap into for help, they will feel comfortable in approaching me in the future for further questions about school or advice on other things that come up.
So What: I think that it is extremely important for teachers to be involved with their students to the point that they get a feel to what level their students generally perform at, as well as be conscious of further potential. It is pivotal that teachers develop this sort of intuition and be able to read when their students are struggling.
Now What: I'm sure this capability gets better and better with each added year of experience in teaching. Right now one of the best things that I could do to help develop this skill is to observe how my teachers each handle this. In this way I can see tactics that work and that I would like to imitate, as well as ones that I may not be in favor of replicating, and therefore choose an alternative. I hope that I not only develop this ability, but develop a type of presence that is inviting to students who may be falling behind. Should the students be too shy or embarrassed to seek help, I hope to have a quality that expresses a genuine desire to help that does not come across as demeaning of condescending.
Perhaps when my students realize that I'm truly a resource that they can trust and tap into for help, they will feel comfortable in approaching me in the future for further questions about school or advice on other things that come up.
Week 3-SMART Board
Interactive Whiteboards in the Classroom
View
The concept of the SMART Board is taking over schools across the nation. Many students have been exposed to the SMART Board or other similar systems by the names of ActivBoard, eBeam, Mimio, or Webster.
I knew from minimum previous exposure that SMART Boards were helpful because it allows for the computer screen to be projected by the board with capabilities of writing over as well as touch sensitive responsiveness.
However, I was greatly surprised by the extremely long list of tasks that SMART Boards are capable of aiding students and teachers in accomplishing. A few of these many items that I was impressed by included saving files for kids who are absent, digital storytelling, and having students create e-foliios that create samples of their own work and narrations.
SMART Boards have the potential to make a largely successful impact on a classroom. SMART Boards can bring lessons to life to generate interest and engagement from students. It can aid students that have different learning intelligences (such as visual, audio, and kinesthetic) within one classroom to be able to better understand concepts. SMART Boards can help a teacher to more easily organize and present lesson plans. When used properly, SMART Boards are a tool that can successfully help teachers to teach, students to learn, and even students to teach their classmates.
However, the key concept here is that this is possible when the SMART Board is used properly. If a teacher has trouble using the SMART Board and is unsure of what they are doing when trying to present a lesson, the result can be a disaster. Teachers who struggle with the SMART Board are likely to get frustrated which will result in students becoming distracted, disengaged, and doubting their teachers capabilities which will disrupt a classroom and turn it into a place of chaos.
Should teachers learn how to use a SMART Board and feel comfortable with how to work it before they try to incorporate into lesson plans, then it can be a great teaching aid. However, should the teacher not receive the proper instruction and experience beforehand, this could lead to frustration and embarrassment and hinder students learning experiences.
View
The concept of the SMART Board is taking over schools across the nation. Many students have been exposed to the SMART Board or other similar systems by the names of ActivBoard, eBeam, Mimio, or Webster.
I knew from minimum previous exposure that SMART Boards were helpful because it allows for the computer screen to be projected by the board with capabilities of writing over as well as touch sensitive responsiveness.
However, I was greatly surprised by the extremely long list of tasks that SMART Boards are capable of aiding students and teachers in accomplishing. A few of these many items that I was impressed by included saving files for kids who are absent, digital storytelling, and having students create e-foliios that create samples of their own work and narrations.
SMART Boards have the potential to make a largely successful impact on a classroom. SMART Boards can bring lessons to life to generate interest and engagement from students. It can aid students that have different learning intelligences (such as visual, audio, and kinesthetic) within one classroom to be able to better understand concepts. SMART Boards can help a teacher to more easily organize and present lesson plans. When used properly, SMART Boards are a tool that can successfully help teachers to teach, students to learn, and even students to teach their classmates.
However, the key concept here is that this is possible when the SMART Board is used properly. If a teacher has trouble using the SMART Board and is unsure of what they are doing when trying to present a lesson, the result can be a disaster. Teachers who struggle with the SMART Board are likely to get frustrated which will result in students becoming distracted, disengaged, and doubting their teachers capabilities which will disrupt a classroom and turn it into a place of chaos.
Should teachers learn how to use a SMART Board and feel comfortable with how to work it before they try to incorporate into lesson plans, then it can be a great teaching aid. However, should the teacher not receive the proper instruction and experience beforehand, this could lead to frustration and embarrassment and hinder students learning experiences.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Assignment #1 Technology Literacy
Part 1-Eric Article, Summary, and Reflection
Building a Better Biology Lab? Testing Tablet PC Technology in a Core Laboratory Course
Citation Information
Link:http://firma.northwestu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ824990&site=ehost-live
Authors: Gregory Pryor and Vernon Bauer
Source: Journal of College Science Teaching, v38 n2 p44-48 Dec 2008. 5 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0047-231X
Summary
In this article, a high school biology department put interactive Tablet PC Technology to the test to see just how effective integrating this type of technology into their science classes could be. The department set up a scientific experiment using control and variable groups. The control group, roughly half of the students, were taught without the use of the Tablet PCs while the variable group used the technology. To test learning effectiveness, both groups were given the same quiz (testing knowledge of biological concepts) prior to the beginning of the experiment, and then were given the exact same quiz again at the end of the testing period. In order to ensure legitimacy, statistical analyses were ran on the data to ensure that there weren't any outstanding differences during the first quiz so that the outcomes would be legitimate. The results turned out that that was not any significant increase in the quiz scores of the technology enhanced classrooms over the control classrooms. Although the results did not reflect a difference in learning capacity, students agreed that they enjoyed the classroom learning experience more. The teachers reactions varied based on their comfort of technology. There was one lab that was extraordinarily enhanced by the technology, however, the rest were better received as on-hands real world lab experience. However, teachers continued to use the technology in the following years, using a combination of the technology/hands on lab experience to enhance student engagement, active learning, using real-world bio-lab technology skills, and improve enjoyability of the course.
Reflection
I love that the biology department did a scientific experiment to see how effective integrating the PC tablets into their classroom would be. The article was extremely easy to follow and laid out in a manner that confirmed its scientific credibility. I was shocked by the outcome of their study pertaining to learning enhancement. I was thoroughly surprised that the integration of technology did not make a significant difference in quiz scores compared to the classroom that did not use the technology. I am curious to know the results of other studies that have been run integrating different types of technology. However, even if the results are the same, there are other aspects to consider. One of the major ones being that students found the course more interesting and desirable with the use of the technology. Another is that it gives students a more realistic glimpse of what it would be like to work in a scientific lab professionally. There is also the benefit of using and becoming familiar with new technology to help problem solve and gain experience for new learning experiences in their future careers. There were some drawbacks that the teachers experienced throughout their testing period as well. These included a large amount of time needed to set up the technology in preparation of use, when the system ran into glitches, decreased interaction between students and teachers, as well as increased distraction to the learning environment. Many times, the use of technology was not a good substitute to labs that were hands on. However, as proposed in the article, a balance of these two styles of teaching could be effective for learning as well as classroom engagement and enjoyment.
Application to My Classroom
This article was helpful to me in numerous ways. One of the first ways is the confirmation that technology can be used to help stimulate excitement, engagement and interest in what is being taught in the classroom. I also thought that it was really cool that the technology could be used to help generate more professional lab reports and simulate real-life professional lab work experience. As far as the outcome about the technology not having a significant affect on increased knowledge attainment...it's actually kind of comforting. I can use this knowledge to know that more traditional style lesson plans are not below technology enhanced lessons concerning the actual learning experience. This means that if at some points I resort to the more traditional concept, or something in the technological department does not go according to plan, I don't have to feel like a complete failure as a teacher. However, I will take into account the affect the use of technology has on students interest in the class. As was concluded in the article, a balance of the two seems to be the most effective, and most reasonable outcome.
Part 2-NETS for Teachers
Out of the five standards that comprise the NETS for Teachers, the one I want to focus on throughout the semester is the first one, Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.
This standard is important because the potential that kids have to create unique, intricate, and outstanding projects and presentations is incredible. I want my classroom to be a place where kids can discover topics that they find interest in and then be able to express these interests in a way that is original to them. Learning is important because embracing this ability can allow students to go places, pursue jobs, and meet people that they otherwise may not have had the chance to. The Creative portion is important because creativity is an expression of individuality, of personality. Each student will have different qualities, passions and experiences that make them different from anyone else in the world. Expressing creativity is a way to embrace this individuality and help promote self-love and hopefully an appreciation and respect for others as well.
Focus throughout the Semester: 3 ways
This standard is made of four sub letters that state how the teacher will accomplish the standard. I will choose to focus on three of these to apply to my learning throughout the semester.
1)Create an assignment that will "engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources".
2)Create an assignment that will "promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes".
3)Plan an experience that would allow "engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments".
Part 3-NETS for Students
As a high school biology teacher,the NETS standard that stuck out to me as one that is essential to doing work in the biology classroom is standard number three, "Research and Information Fluency". The very nature of science presents an ideal field to develop these skills as a student. As defined by the ISTE:
Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
There are two assignments that come to mind instantly that would incorporate these skills. Again, it is essential that if students choose to work in the scientific field that they become very familiar with these standards. Even for those students that will choose career paths outside of the scientific community, these standards are important for basic problem solving skills and development of logic.
Assignment #1:
Students will create an experiment using the scientific method. Students will make observations based in any matter of their choosing (ideas will also be provided by teacher) and then form a hypothesis of why this difference is so. Students will then follow through the scientific method and set up control and variable groups to test their hypothesis. They will record all of the steps that they take and write up a basic lab report in their lab notebooks. Students will then take their findings and make a presentation to share with their classmates not only discussing their results but the entire process by which they achieved those results.
Assignment #2
The second assignment is that of a research paper. Teachers could make the topic as broad as anything in the biological community, or make it more specific to what is being covered in class such as cell development, past-researchers that have contributed to the scientific community leading up to today, cause and effects in the ecosystem, biomedical diseases and illnesses, etc. The possibilities are endless. It would be a good experience for the students to require a topic that goes deeper into a topic that has briefly discussed in class. In this way, students have been introduced to the topic and have developed an interest, but the majority of the research will have to be conducted by the students. The paper (to be followed up with a class presentation) can be broken up into steps (outline, annotated works cited, rough drafts one and two, final) to help pace students throughout the semester. Requirements for works cited should also be made helping students to gather information that is legitimate, up to date, and from a variety of resources. After the final paper is turned in, students will create a presentation of their work and hand out brochures that they have produced on a computer to their classmates.
Building a Better Biology Lab? Testing Tablet PC Technology in a Core Laboratory Course
Citation Information
Link:http://firma.northwestu.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ824990&site=ehost-live
Authors: Gregory Pryor and Vernon Bauer
Source: Journal of College Science Teaching, v38 n2 p44-48 Dec 2008. 5 pp. (Peer Reviewed Journal)
ISSN: 0047-231X
Summary
In this article, a high school biology department put interactive Tablet PC Technology to the test to see just how effective integrating this type of technology into their science classes could be. The department set up a scientific experiment using control and variable groups. The control group, roughly half of the students, were taught without the use of the Tablet PCs while the variable group used the technology. To test learning effectiveness, both groups were given the same quiz (testing knowledge of biological concepts) prior to the beginning of the experiment, and then were given the exact same quiz again at the end of the testing period. In order to ensure legitimacy, statistical analyses were ran on the data to ensure that there weren't any outstanding differences during the first quiz so that the outcomes would be legitimate. The results turned out that that was not any significant increase in the quiz scores of the technology enhanced classrooms over the control classrooms. Although the results did not reflect a difference in learning capacity, students agreed that they enjoyed the classroom learning experience more. The teachers reactions varied based on their comfort of technology. There was one lab that was extraordinarily enhanced by the technology, however, the rest were better received as on-hands real world lab experience. However, teachers continued to use the technology in the following years, using a combination of the technology/hands on lab experience to enhance student engagement, active learning, using real-world bio-lab technology skills, and improve enjoyability of the course.
Reflection
I love that the biology department did a scientific experiment to see how effective integrating the PC tablets into their classroom would be. The article was extremely easy to follow and laid out in a manner that confirmed its scientific credibility. I was shocked by the outcome of their study pertaining to learning enhancement. I was thoroughly surprised that the integration of technology did not make a significant difference in quiz scores compared to the classroom that did not use the technology. I am curious to know the results of other studies that have been run integrating different types of technology. However, even if the results are the same, there are other aspects to consider. One of the major ones being that students found the course more interesting and desirable with the use of the technology. Another is that it gives students a more realistic glimpse of what it would be like to work in a scientific lab professionally. There is also the benefit of using and becoming familiar with new technology to help problem solve and gain experience for new learning experiences in their future careers. There were some drawbacks that the teachers experienced throughout their testing period as well. These included a large amount of time needed to set up the technology in preparation of use, when the system ran into glitches, decreased interaction between students and teachers, as well as increased distraction to the learning environment. Many times, the use of technology was not a good substitute to labs that were hands on. However, as proposed in the article, a balance of these two styles of teaching could be effective for learning as well as classroom engagement and enjoyment.
Application to My Classroom
This article was helpful to me in numerous ways. One of the first ways is the confirmation that technology can be used to help stimulate excitement, engagement and interest in what is being taught in the classroom. I also thought that it was really cool that the technology could be used to help generate more professional lab reports and simulate real-life professional lab work experience. As far as the outcome about the technology not having a significant affect on increased knowledge attainment...it's actually kind of comforting. I can use this knowledge to know that more traditional style lesson plans are not below technology enhanced lessons concerning the actual learning experience. This means that if at some points I resort to the more traditional concept, or something in the technological department does not go according to plan, I don't have to feel like a complete failure as a teacher. However, I will take into account the affect the use of technology has on students interest in the class. As was concluded in the article, a balance of the two seems to be the most effective, and most reasonable outcome.
Part 2-NETS for Teachers
Out of the five standards that comprise the NETS for Teachers, the one I want to focus on throughout the semester is the first one, Facilitate and Inspire Student Learning and Creativity.
This standard is important because the potential that kids have to create unique, intricate, and outstanding projects and presentations is incredible. I want my classroom to be a place where kids can discover topics that they find interest in and then be able to express these interests in a way that is original to them. Learning is important because embracing this ability can allow students to go places, pursue jobs, and meet people that they otherwise may not have had the chance to. The Creative portion is important because creativity is an expression of individuality, of personality. Each student will have different qualities, passions and experiences that make them different from anyone else in the world. Expressing creativity is a way to embrace this individuality and help promote self-love and hopefully an appreciation and respect for others as well.
Focus throughout the Semester: 3 ways
This standard is made of four sub letters that state how the teacher will accomplish the standard. I will choose to focus on three of these to apply to my learning throughout the semester.
1)Create an assignment that will "engage students in exploring real-world issues and solving authentic problems using digital tools and resources".
2)Create an assignment that will "promote student reflection using collaborative tools to reveal and clarify students' conceptual understanding and thinking, planning, and creative processes".
3)Plan an experience that would allow "engaging in learning with students, colleagues, and others in face-to-face and virtual environments".
Part 3-NETS for Students
As a high school biology teacher,the NETS standard that stuck out to me as one that is essential to doing work in the biology classroom is standard number three, "Research and Information Fluency". The very nature of science presents an ideal field to develop these skills as a student. As defined by the ISTE:
Research and Information Fluency
Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information. Students:
a. plan strategies to guide inquiry.
b. locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media
c. evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks.
d. process data and report results.
There are two assignments that come to mind instantly that would incorporate these skills. Again, it is essential that if students choose to work in the scientific field that they become very familiar with these standards. Even for those students that will choose career paths outside of the scientific community, these standards are important for basic problem solving skills and development of logic.
Assignment #1:
Students will create an experiment using the scientific method. Students will make observations based in any matter of their choosing (ideas will also be provided by teacher) and then form a hypothesis of why this difference is so. Students will then follow through the scientific method and set up control and variable groups to test their hypothesis. They will record all of the steps that they take and write up a basic lab report in their lab notebooks. Students will then take their findings and make a presentation to share with their classmates not only discussing their results but the entire process by which they achieved those results.
Assignment #2
The second assignment is that of a research paper. Teachers could make the topic as broad as anything in the biological community, or make it more specific to what is being covered in class such as cell development, past-researchers that have contributed to the scientific community leading up to today, cause and effects in the ecosystem, biomedical diseases and illnesses, etc. The possibilities are endless. It would be a good experience for the students to require a topic that goes deeper into a topic that has briefly discussed in class. In this way, students have been introduced to the topic and have developed an interest, but the majority of the research will have to be conducted by the students. The paper (to be followed up with a class presentation) can be broken up into steps (outline, annotated works cited, rough drafts one and two, final) to help pace students throughout the semester. Requirements for works cited should also be made helping students to gather information that is legitimate, up to date, and from a variety of resources. After the final paper is turned in, students will create a presentation of their work and hand out brochures that they have produced on a computer to their classmates.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Reflection #1
What: The idea of using technology in the classroom is both exciting and intimidating.
So What: On the one hand, it will be a great resource for allowing kids to be more engaged in class, which will hopefully enhance their learning experience. On the other hand, it's intimidating to try and think of a variety of ways to implement technology successfully.
Now What: Thankfully, I'm sure this class will provide a variety of resources to help generate ideas. Not only will the materials covered in class be a helpful resource, but it will also be helpful to bounce ideas off of other people in the class.
After reading the two articles provided by the class thus far, my desire to become a technologically savvy teacher has increased so that learning can be effective and engaging, as opposed to many of the outdated and irrelevant tactics described by the articles.
The field of technology is extremely vast, so I'm sure there won't be a shortage of areas to explore and experience. I hope that this class will help to give direction so that I can narrow down what will be effective and helpful to use.
So What: On the one hand, it will be a great resource for allowing kids to be more engaged in class, which will hopefully enhance their learning experience. On the other hand, it's intimidating to try and think of a variety of ways to implement technology successfully.
Now What: Thankfully, I'm sure this class will provide a variety of resources to help generate ideas. Not only will the materials covered in class be a helpful resource, but it will also be helpful to bounce ideas off of other people in the class.
After reading the two articles provided by the class thus far, my desire to become a technologically savvy teacher has increased so that learning can be effective and engaging, as opposed to many of the outdated and irrelevant tactics described by the articles.
The field of technology is extremely vast, so I'm sure there won't be a shortage of areas to explore and experience. I hope that this class will help to give direction so that I can narrow down what will be effective and helpful to use.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Week 2-Turning on the Lights Response
The article Turning on the Lights by Marc Prensky was a very intriguing read. The way he sets up and presents the information provides the reader with a very clear and informative view about what the article is trying to get across: Teachers need to implement technology into student learning in the classroom if we want school to continue to be an educational and engaging environment. It was interesting to see the timeline of how we progressed to this point in the first place. School used to be the only place where kids had the opportunity to learn about the world. Now the world is literally at their fingertips and they can essentially learn about anything they want anytime they want. Unfortunately, the classroom hasn't progressed at the rate of technology, and now the two are in conflict much of the time. I agree that teachers need to rework their curriculum to save the classroom from becoming a dreaded, boring, and irrelevant place.
I think Prensky's criticism of teachers teaching to standardized test standards was unfair however. It is not within the teachers' power to change this. This goes higher up in the educational hierarchy, which means that the whole education system will need to be changed that steers curriculum away from standardized testing. I do believe, however, that teachers should be able to prepare their students to know how to take standardized test, and still be able to prepare them to have fundamental knowledge through the use of technology.
Of Prensky's advice on how to move towards this new era in education, I really enjoyed his bit about connecting with the world. Finding other students around the world is a phenomenal way for the students to make connections and learn things that are truly relevant to real-life. This is a great idea and could be used in most any classroom in one way or another.
I think Prensky's criticism of teachers teaching to standardized test standards was unfair however. It is not within the teachers' power to change this. This goes higher up in the educational hierarchy, which means that the whole education system will need to be changed that steers curriculum away from standardized testing. I do believe, however, that teachers should be able to prepare their students to know how to take standardized test, and still be able to prepare them to have fundamental knowledge through the use of technology.
Of Prensky's advice on how to move towards this new era in education, I really enjoyed his bit about connecting with the world. Finding other students around the world is a phenomenal way for the students to make connections and learn things that are truly relevant to real-life. This is a great idea and could be used in most any classroom in one way or another.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Week 1-Teaching
I want to teach high school biology. I've always had a desire to be a teacher, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to to teach.
I decided on Biology my first semster here at Northwest when I took a biology class from Professor Randolph to fulfill my general science requirements. It was here that it finally clicked how intricately beautiful life and the world that surrounds us are. I decided to pursue more science classes and realized that I am without a doubt in the right field of study.
I hope to instill an interest in science in my students. However, beyond that, I want my students to understand the importance of education and develop a desire to learn, no matter what the subject.
Besides teaching, I also want to coach. I run track and cross country here at Northwest, and I played volleyball and basketball in high school. I would love to coach any combination of these.
This semester I hope to become more comfortable with technology so that I can apply it in my classroom. In this way, I hope to make better connections with my students so that they are interested in what we are doing and become more involved in class.
I decided on Biology my first semster here at Northwest when I took a biology class from Professor Randolph to fulfill my general science requirements. It was here that it finally clicked how intricately beautiful life and the world that surrounds us are. I decided to pursue more science classes and realized that I am without a doubt in the right field of study.
I hope to instill an interest in science in my students. However, beyond that, I want my students to understand the importance of education and develop a desire to learn, no matter what the subject.
Besides teaching, I also want to coach. I run track and cross country here at Northwest, and I played volleyball and basketball in high school. I would love to coach any combination of these.
This semester I hope to become more comfortable with technology so that I can apply it in my classroom. In this way, I hope to make better connections with my students so that they are interested in what we are doing and become more involved in class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)