This semester, I have had the opportunity to learn a great deal about what technology can offer to me as a teacher and how I can incorporate it into my future classroom. I am very thankful to have had the chance to learn through this course, as I would not have otherwise learned even half of these applications, websites, and other tools. When I am in my own classroom I will be incorporating technology into our daily rountines, and taking advantage of it as much as possible. Until then, I will continue to learn about ways I can improve on what I already know and keep current in the new applications and programs as they come out. In order for my students to benefit from everything in the world of technology, I must be familiar with it myself and have it in the classroom and that is exactly what I will do. My students will have every opportunity that is allowable and attainable in my classroom.
This course has been a great opportunity for me to learn about not only ways of teaching, but for finding ways that I myself can continue learning on my own.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Week 13: Rubrics and other tools
Speaking in general terms, I love the idea of using rubrics in the classroom. Teachers benefit from rubrics because they are able to set out their expectations clearly and specifically. For students, they gain much the same benefit from knowing what the teacher expects them to produce. To go a step further, I love the idea of technology based rubrics, from the experiences I have had with them. Incorporating technology into the classroom should be a part of every element of the classroom, wherever it is possible. Students who are expected to use technology in their assignments and to produce assignments incorporating technological aspects and elements should have a rubric and a classroom using technology as well. Creating a technology based rubric does just that, in that it combines both.
Clicker assessment tools are something that I have not yet seen first hand in an elementary school setting. I have, however, used one first hand in a class that I was enrolled in. Clickers allow students to take a hands on approach to their learning because they are becoming a part of the lesson and making it interactive. Teachers are able to gauge their understanding during the lesson, instead of waiting until they get the papers graded or look over the exams. Teachers can see during the lesson how much of the class is comprehending, and which areas may need work or more reteaching than the others. This idea of taking clickers into the classroom is a great idea and I think it could be used even in the elementary grades. Teachers could incorporate it easily into math, which could require multiple choice questions during the lesson and the assignment. They could also get creative and put it into other subjects as well.
Kidspiration, and other software like it is a new concept to me, although from what I have seen I love it! This is another way of incorporating current technology into the classroom, and it has the capability of incorporating multiple subject areas. For instance, students can use this software to work on their mathematical skills and they can also use it to work on their literature or grammer skills. This idea could be used in the classroom as individual group work, or it could be incorporated into literacy centers. This software gives students the opportunity to make their work station their own and to save their work as they go. It also gives teachers the opportunity to track their students progress and give them opportunities to work successfully as individuals. I would absolutely look into incorporating this into my future classroom.
Clicker assessment tools are something that I have not yet seen first hand in an elementary school setting. I have, however, used one first hand in a class that I was enrolled in. Clickers allow students to take a hands on approach to their learning because they are becoming a part of the lesson and making it interactive. Teachers are able to gauge their understanding during the lesson, instead of waiting until they get the papers graded or look over the exams. Teachers can see during the lesson how much of the class is comprehending, and which areas may need work or more reteaching than the others. This idea of taking clickers into the classroom is a great idea and I think it could be used even in the elementary grades. Teachers could incorporate it easily into math, which could require multiple choice questions during the lesson and the assignment. They could also get creative and put it into other subjects as well.
Kidspiration, and other software like it is a new concept to me, although from what I have seen I love it! This is another way of incorporating current technology into the classroom, and it has the capability of incorporating multiple subject areas. For instance, students can use this software to work on their mathematical skills and they can also use it to work on their literature or grammer skills. This idea could be used in the classroom as individual group work, or it could be incorporated into literacy centers. This software gives students the opportunity to make their work station their own and to save their work as they go. It also gives teachers the opportunity to track their students progress and give them opportunities to work successfully as individuals. I would absolutely look into incorporating this into my future classroom.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Visualizing with Technologies
Digital Storytelling is the process of creating a video through planning, and making it come to life. Students plan out their story using an online tool. They use all the formal elements of a story such as: exposition, rising action, climax, and falling action. After the story has been established and a general understanding of the equipment has been taught, students have the opportunity to take their story and turn it into a movie. The teacher is not involved in this process, which gives the students the opportunity to play every role involved in the hands on production. They shoot the video, and after it is done they are able to go back and edit it. After the class videos have been completed, they are to be presented and discussed among the class. I personally feel that this is an excellent idea, and given the appropriate age and grade level, this would be a great use of resources. Technology is incorporated, which gives the lesson a hands on approach as well. The students are able to take story telling and make it into something fun and different, that otherwise they may not have had the opportunity to do. Students are able to critique their work and the work of others, learning more about the subject all the while. I would definitely put this into use in my classroom is possible.
Math can be a very difficult for some students to comprehend, which is why a hands on approach to math is so vital in the classroom. Playing with formulas and equations can only get you so far when written on paper, because our minds naturally need to visualize what we are working with. When we learn something using a hands on approach, or are able to work with it in some way other than on paper, our minds suddenly are able to comprehend much deeper. As we learned in the chapter, there are different applications that allow you to create your own formulas using something as simple as a graphing calculator. To take that a step further, I have worked personally with websites and applications that allow you to take mathematical units and make them real. For instance, in one application we were able to change around geometric shapes and angles to see how they would change as we changed the number of degrees, lines, vertices, and other information. Seeing how they would be affected and working with them first hand made them come to life for me, and I would definitely encourage that in my future classroom.
Television has become part of our day to day living in this generation. While there are so many shows that can be interactive such as learning channels or cooking shows, we tend to simply "watch" tv for the most part, and not interact with it. When we simply watch tv, we are learning but we are also becoming lathargic and lazy. When we take video and television to the next level, and do things with it such as digital storytelling, suddenly it changes and we are learning through interacting and producing. Yes, we can learn from television, but whether or not we do learn is up to us and how we choose to use it.
Math can be a very difficult for some students to comprehend, which is why a hands on approach to math is so vital in the classroom. Playing with formulas and equations can only get you so far when written on paper, because our minds naturally need to visualize what we are working with. When we learn something using a hands on approach, or are able to work with it in some way other than on paper, our minds suddenly are able to comprehend much deeper. As we learned in the chapter, there are different applications that allow you to create your own formulas using something as simple as a graphing calculator. To take that a step further, I have worked personally with websites and applications that allow you to take mathematical units and make them real. For instance, in one application we were able to change around geometric shapes and angles to see how they would change as we changed the number of degrees, lines, vertices, and other information. Seeing how they would be affected and working with them first hand made them come to life for me, and I would definitely encourage that in my future classroom.
Television has become part of our day to day living in this generation. While there are so many shows that can be interactive such as learning channels or cooking shows, we tend to simply "watch" tv for the most part, and not interact with it. When we simply watch tv, we are learning but we are also becoming lathargic and lazy. When we take video and television to the next level, and do things with it such as digital storytelling, suddenly it changes and we are learning through interacting and producing. Yes, we can learn from television, but whether or not we do learn is up to us and how we choose to use it.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Communicating with Technology
In today's world, not only is technology a way of learning and researching, it is the new way of communicating. What we once thought of as successful technology communication may have been only emails and phone calls. Now the ways of communicating via technology are every changing and seemingly endless. We can skype with family members that are far away, or with students in a classroom far off in another country. We can create blogs and online portfolios or websites to showcase ourskills, ourselves, and our lives with others. We can use our phone to upload applications such as music, games, and videos. We can even stay up to date on our church's worship using a podcast when we cannot be there in person; all of this simply by picking up our computer or our cell phone.
It seems as thought these days technology has no limits! We are always changing and always inventing new uses for our gadgets, applications, and online tools. If something can be changed or updated, someone will find a way to do it!
Through this course, my eyes have been opened drastically by what technolgy has offered at my fingertips. I have been able to successfully create a blog site and even a website to showcase my online portfolio. This will especially come in handy when I have a classroom of my own, when I can post my assignments for my students, my communication for parents and students, and any other information vital for our classroom.
Technology is not only something for the workplace. It is now an everyday part of families, teachers, classrooms of all kinds, and everyday living in our world. Whether we are driving in our car listening to a podcast or our own itunes lineup, or we are creating a presentation for school or work, or making a schedule for our week using an interactive planner, or even skyping with a distant family member technology is everywhere and anywhere!
It seems as thought these days technology has no limits! We are always changing and always inventing new uses for our gadgets, applications, and online tools. If something can be changed or updated, someone will find a way to do it!
Through this course, my eyes have been opened drastically by what technolgy has offered at my fingertips. I have been able to successfully create a blog site and even a website to showcase my online portfolio. This will especially come in handy when I have a classroom of my own, when I can post my assignments for my students, my communication for parents and students, and any other information vital for our classroom.
Technology is not only something for the workplace. It is now an everyday part of families, teachers, classrooms of all kinds, and everyday living in our world. Whether we are driving in our car listening to a podcast or our own itunes lineup, or we are creating a presentation for school or work, or making a schedule for our week using an interactive planner, or even skyping with a distant family member technology is everywhere and anywhere!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Chapter 10 Response
Assessment Activites are used by educators and others within the scope of the school setting) to gather information about a student's performance. Teachers use a variety of assessment methods to gather information from hands on activities, to written tests, to computer based surveys or other activities. Teachers can use these to assess where the child is at whether it be developmentally, socially, or perhaps even in other areas. Teachers use assessment tools on a regular basis to check for understanding and progress from their students so they may teach in a way that offers the best techniques for the students. Not all students in a classroom will be on the same level, and teachers use asssessment to address this issue. When the teacher is able to assess where his or her students are at in a particular subject, they are also then able to make changes necessarry to better the lesson for all of the students, and to make plans to get other students to where they need to be.
An e-portfolio is essentially the same as a traditional portfolio, but it has been put online and is able to be more interactive and showcase more areas. Unlike the traditional portfolio which only shows paper displays and photographs, an e portfolio "may include video clips, graphics, sound, writing samples, artwork, and multimedia presentations," ( Jonassen). Teachers who use e portfolios are able to showcase more of their work and their skills, and essentially more of their accomplishments and qualifications as well. In much the same way, students can create their own portfolios to show their work off. Student portfolios do not necessarilly show their accomplishments, they may show off their skills by putting together portfolios to showcase different areas and subject topics. Teachers and students will both continue to benefit from the use of e portfolios as they become more a part of the classroom.
Overall, e portfolios are just one of the many ways technology is being readily incorporated into the classroom. In the same way that teachers are able to use technology to do anything from set up an e portfolio to showcase their skill and qualifications to create interactive lesson plans and projects, their students are benefitting from them as well. Technology is always evolving and it is important that we change with it. As educators we will continue to benefit from incorporating technology into our classrooms, and our students will reap the rewards just the same.
Citation: Jonassen, David, and Jane Howland. Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper
Sadler River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2008. Print. Pg 218-222
An e-portfolio is essentially the same as a traditional portfolio, but it has been put online and is able to be more interactive and showcase more areas. Unlike the traditional portfolio which only shows paper displays and photographs, an e portfolio "may include video clips, graphics, sound, writing samples, artwork, and multimedia presentations," ( Jonassen). Teachers who use e portfolios are able to showcase more of their work and their skills, and essentially more of their accomplishments and qualifications as well. In much the same way, students can create their own portfolios to show their work off. Student portfolios do not necessarilly show their accomplishments, they may show off their skills by putting together portfolios to showcase different areas and subject topics. Teachers and students will both continue to benefit from the use of e portfolios as they become more a part of the classroom.
Overall, e portfolios are just one of the many ways technology is being readily incorporated into the classroom. In the same way that teachers are able to use technology to do anything from set up an e portfolio to showcase their skill and qualifications to create interactive lesson plans and projects, their students are benefitting from them as well. Technology is always evolving and it is important that we change with it. As educators we will continue to benefit from incorporating technology into our classrooms, and our students will reap the rewards just the same.
Citation: Jonassen, David, and Jane Howland. Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper
Sadler River, New Jersey: Pearson, 2008. Print. Pg 218-222
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Copyright and Fair Use
To be completely honest I had no idea copyright and fair use were both such serious and intricate things! I have never taken the time to really look into copyright issues or rules regarding copyright and fair use. The most I have done would be signing off on university or any other policies stating that I did not copyright when turning in an assignment, paper, or research that I had done. However, I have to wonder if I had followed the legality behind copyright and fair use as closely as I thought I was. After reading the articles and taking the quiz, it is quite clear I still have much to learn! All of the information seemed overwhelming because I was trying to relate it to my current learning and future teaching while reading. I feel like it went right over my head at times and to really truly understand it I will have to do more research. As a future teacher I feel I owe it not only to myself but to my students to research and understand how it will affect our work and our classroom. I do appreciate that there are such laws out there, as people have the right to have their own work protected. Anyone who creates a piece of work, whether it be audio or visual or research based materials, their work should be credited to them and only them. If anyone wants to use their work, the work should be used with the permission given and the credit because it does belong to them.
Online Safety, to me, is protecting yourself (and in the future your students) from potentially harmful people or material that they may encounter online. In this class,and others as well, we use all kinds of online websites and networking tools. In our day to day lives we more than likely use even more. Whether we are emailing, blogging, or networking (facebook, etc.), we are opening ourselves up to other people both good and bad. Knowing that the information we display will not land in the wrong hands is vital to keeping us safe. Using safety tools and privacy settings is a good start, and knowing who you are communicating with can take it a step further. Putting too much personal information online is never a good thing. While as adults we tend to be aware of those around us and ways of protecting ourselves, we can never be too careful. Unfortunately, our students are not as cautious most of the time. Teaching them about "online" stranger danger is a great preventative precaution to teach them to take. Teaching them about what is acceptable to post and make public is another. When students are in our classrooms we can monitor their use and what they are doing, but we must also teach them to be cautious themselves because they will not always be protected by their teachers and their classrooms.
Before this weeks assignment I honestly wouldn't have given copyright and fair use much thought. I thought that by citing my work used, I was following the copyright guidelines set out legally for me. I am glad that I was given the oportunity to learn more about all of this and that my eyes were open to it. As a future educator I will be daily implementing technology into my classroom, and perhaps the work of others. Whether I am showing an online site, reading and excerpt or article, or showing my students some handy online tools I know I will be using the work of others somehow. Not only will I learn how to do that correctly and legally, I will also make the effort to use my own work as much as possible!
Online Safety, to me, is protecting yourself (and in the future your students) from potentially harmful people or material that they may encounter online. In this class,and others as well, we use all kinds of online websites and networking tools. In our day to day lives we more than likely use even more. Whether we are emailing, blogging, or networking (facebook, etc.), we are opening ourselves up to other people both good and bad. Knowing that the information we display will not land in the wrong hands is vital to keeping us safe. Using safety tools and privacy settings is a good start, and knowing who you are communicating with can take it a step further. Putting too much personal information online is never a good thing. While as adults we tend to be aware of those around us and ways of protecting ourselves, we can never be too careful. Unfortunately, our students are not as cautious most of the time. Teaching them about "online" stranger danger is a great preventative precaution to teach them to take. Teaching them about what is acceptable to post and make public is another. When students are in our classrooms we can monitor their use and what they are doing, but we must also teach them to be cautious themselves because they will not always be protected by their teachers and their classrooms.
Before this weeks assignment I honestly wouldn't have given copyright and fair use much thought. I thought that by citing my work used, I was following the copyright guidelines set out legally for me. I am glad that I was given the oportunity to learn more about all of this and that my eyes were open to it. As a future educator I will be daily implementing technology into my classroom, and perhaps the work of others. Whether I am showing an online site, reading and excerpt or article, or showing my students some handy online tools I know I will be using the work of others somehow. Not only will I learn how to do that correctly and legally, I will also make the effort to use my own work as much as possible!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Hello!
Before this course I thought I was completely up to date with technology. After struggling with microsoft publisher, excel, and now a blog I see I was a bit incorrect!
I can already see how beneficial all of these tools will be in my classroom, and am excited to be learning so much! In this era we have so many tools at our fingertips that can enhance our classrooms, our learning, and really our living if we simply know how to use them. I am excited to not only learn all of these different tools but to put them into use and actually know what I'm doing!
I remember doing a blog called "Xanga" when I was in middle school...I dont know how I was able to breeze through that when this gave me some trouble! I must have been taking the internet and applications for granted and let myself fall behind on the times!
I am excited about this course and taking advantage of all it has to offer!
I can already see how beneficial all of these tools will be in my classroom, and am excited to be learning so much! In this era we have so many tools at our fingertips that can enhance our classrooms, our learning, and really our living if we simply know how to use them. I am excited to not only learn all of these different tools but to put them into use and actually know what I'm doing!
I remember doing a blog called "Xanga" when I was in middle school...I dont know how I was able to breeze through that when this gave me some trouble! I must have been taking the internet and applications for granted and let myself fall behind on the times!
I am excited about this course and taking advantage of all it has to offer!
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