Saturday, May 2, 2015

Final: Reflective Post




There isn't anything that I would end up changing in this course. All the material was presented perfectly and I learned more then I expected. If people asked me whether to take this class or not, I would say "YES!" The professor is very understanding and works towards the students getting everything needed out of the course while helping where it is needed.

I feel that all the learning outcomes that were stated in the syllabus were met. I learning so much about becoming a great teacher and using technology to help me accomplish that goal. With technology growing in todays world, teachers always have to be on their toes and changing with what is going on around them.

From this course I also feel more comfortable working with other students in online classes. I didn't think that I would really like doing online projects because not everyone is on at the same time and it's hard to communicate. After doing the projects on here, I realized group projects for online classes are better then in classroom ones. You have a chance to prove that some of the students didn't help at all or try contacting the group, while also showing how everyone did help.

I really enjoyed this class and I would take it again if I had to. Thank you professor for this experience!

Resource
Ward, C. (2015, May 2). Sign In. Retrieved May 2, 2015, from https://www.haikudeck.com/app/edit#
Final: Reflective Post - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

Friday, April 17, 2015

Digital Blog Post #L

Well the end is near, as the quote goes. After everything I have learned about combining tech into teaching, I'm sad to see it end so soon.

In this chapter one of the major topics that stuck out to me was 'Using technology as a reward or punishment'. When I have my own classroom, I plan to use technology as a reward and as a center they do. I want to work with elementary children and nowadays most of them enjoy playing on electronics. I could do a 'Fun Friday' where they can bring their electronics and play on them, but only if they have had a good week. I don't think its right to use technology as a punishment because then children may not want to use it in the future when they really need to.

I also play to use the tool of involving my students in educational change. The educational requirements for students are continually changing and teachers have to change with it. The only way students can change is if the teachers are open to the change and encouraging the students that it is a good change. There are plenty of ways that teachers can help bring change to the students education, all depending on what they are needed an educational change in.

After this course I plan to do most of my prep for teaching on my computer. This makes it easier for teachers to do their work from home although you don't want to be stuck doing all the work at home. Its nice to be able to do lesson plans, class notes or anything else from your computer. I like this because with being a mother you don't want to be spending all of your time at work trying to get everything done and not spending much time with your own children. They say they grow faster then you expect.

This is a great chapter to wrap up everything that has been taught while also giving a few more tips on how to implement things.


Work Cited

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Digital Blog Post #K

Chapter 6 combined with the WebQuest project was a great idea. I never did a project that I would enjoy, but I have now. Not only that, it was nice to have more information about writing them because of the book. I enjoyed reading about taking virtual field trips and lesson plan websites. Both of these have great benefits for the teachers and students.

Of course after reading chapter 6 and doing a WebQuest project, everyone picks WebQuest to write about. Well, I'm one of those students. I didn't think I would enjoy doing this project, but then once I finished I realized I really did enjoy it. It gives students a chance to do a project or essay or something all through the computer which I think is great. If my teachers in high school would have made these for us to do, I would have loved them. You get a chance to work at your own pace, but still having some due dates.



Another topic I like from chapter 6 is 'taking virtual field trips'. I think this is so cool and an amazing experience. When I was in school when had pen-pals and we actually got to see the class one time. It was so cool and something I will never forget. Some days there isn't enough time to leave and go to a field trip, or its too much work. Children forget this or that, something happens while on the field trip, or someone gets left behind. A 'virtual' field trip gives them the chance to stay in class and feel comfortable.

Lesson plans are a MAJOR part of becoming a teacher. When you are just starting out in the world of education, it can be very difficult to know where to start. It's nice knowing there are websites that teachers can use to help with creating lesson plans. It's also nice for teachers to have access to those websites as well. The curriculum is always changing and so is the technology. Teachers have to always be changing with what's going on around them. The 'old' way may not be the right way in 5 or so years.

I think this was a great chapter to read. The WebQuest, virtual field trips, lesson plan websites, all help teachers with continuing the job of teaching. In order to teach, you need to change and develop with the  curriculum and technology present.

Work cited

Kopcha, T. (2008, December 29). WebQuest 101 Part 1 -- What is a WebQuest? Retrieved April 10, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4rel5qOPvU

Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2011). Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources. In Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 142-173). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Digital Blog Post #J

Chapter 11 was the perfect chapter to read after I just got done with observing a high school teacher. I think its important for teachers to have a portfolio, digital preferably, but they need to have one. I also think its good to do reflections, so you know if material and teaching methods are working or not. Most important would be involving the students in learning and assessment.

A digital portfolio - is a collection of electronic evidence assembled and managed by a user, usually on the Web (Wikipedia). These are great because they are portable and can be accessed anywhere that has internet. With internet a growing need for Americans, teachers should have no trouble getting onto their portfolios almost anywhere. They hold all the information that teachers use in the classroom together. It can be hard at times for a teacher to keep everything in one place and all together. Now with technology you can put it all into folders on your computer or flash drive. I learned from a teacher I observed that, you can also put emails into folders that way you can always pull them back up and they are way faster to find.

Reflections are very important and most of the time we do them without even realizing it. It is always good to try something new, the hardest part is the 'wanting' to try something new. After you try something new, you have to take a step back and think whether that really worked or if it needs a few adjustments. If you don't reflect on what you have taught or on the portfolio you have made for what you taught, how do you know whether it worked or not? How do you know what the students gained? If something can be changed or if something needs to be added? The answer, you don't unless you reflect on where the students were before, during, and after.

Assessment should not be practiced by teachers only, but by students as well, if learning is to be successful (Maloy 314). When teachers are trying to find out whether new material worked or not, you can get the best answer from the students. They will tell you whether or not they liked the new book you introduced to the class or if the new test style was harder or easier. In the classroom I observed they used a game on the internet but they used their phones, called Kahoot (which is web tool we are allowed to use for this class)! The teacher used it as a study guide and she said "It's better then me giving them a study guide". The students were more involved in that game then I have even been when it came to study guides. You could tell the students had given their opinions about this game before and that they enjoyed it.

Teachers should be always have a portfolio, reflect on it and also assess and sometimes allow students to chime in with they opinions on things. After all we are teaching to benefit the students education not ours.

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/5344621-education#

Click the above link to watch a quick and short slide.

Work Cited

Electronic portfolio. (2015, March 11). Retrieved April 2, 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_portfolio

Maloy, R., Verock-O'loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Park Woolf, B. (2011). Engaging Teachers and Students in Learning and Self-Reflection. In Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 304-329). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Ward, C. (2015, April 2). Education. Retrieved April 2, 2015, from https://magic.piktochart.com/output/5344621-education#

Monday, March 23, 2015

Digital Blog Post #I

A teacher needs a rubric, it's a necessity! I didn't realize how important a rubric was until I had to make me own. I started paying attention to the ones my teacher have set up for each assignment now, that way I have ideas for when I have to do my own again. I'm so glad I now have the website rubistar thanks to this class. I know I will be using it so much more when I have my own classroom and rubrics to make!

I think that the way teachers involve technology in their lesson plans is great! Whether people like it or not, the world is changing, with or without them. Children most of the time know more about technology then adults do. Having plans in your lesson that allow them the time to do educational work while on the computer is good for them. I like how students have the chance to research on their own, or make presentations, which all involve technology and can be apart of the lesson!

One-on-one computing is the next greatest thing! There are students out there that don't have the money to have computers in their house or an ipad, iphone, tablet, kindle, etc. With some school districts moving up in the world and allowing students to 'rent' a computer is great! I don't think it should always be allowed to be taken home, considering you never know what can happen there. I still think it's great if they get the opportunity to go on it during school or even after school if allowed.

Friday, February 27, 2015

Digital Blog Post #G

In chapter 10 one technology learning tool that I found interesting was the interactive whiteboards. When I went to observe a first grade teacher she used the interactive whiteboard with her students. I always saw the boards in the classroom but I have only had about two teachers ever use them. When teacher allow students to use the board, it makes them engaged more because they want the teacher to know they are paying attention so they could maybe be called next to do a problem.

Since I'm going into the Mathematics teaching field, the topic of calculators is one I'm VERY interested in. People who haven't been to school in years, don't realize how far the calculator has come. I didn't even know what a scientific calculator or graphing calculator was until my senior year of high school which was four years ago. I think some calculators get used when they shouldn't, but I think the development of the calculator is great!




Interactive electronic storybooks are another great tech tool. Sure there's the kindle, nook, ipad, etc., but you cant forget about the leap pad. I have children that use the leap pad and love it, they actual ask for new books as birthday or Christmas presents. I think that storybooks are great because children have a chance to learn while having fun by doing games and stuff.

I really enjoyed reading chapter 10 and learning a few new things that I don't really think about before.



Work Cited

Custom Personal Automation Applications | Xelerated Solutions. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2015, from http://www.xeleratedsolutions.com/applications.php

Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2011). Promoting Success for All Students through Technology. In Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 274-303). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

Digital Blog Post #F


Work Cited

Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2011). Communicating and Networking with Websites, Blogs, Wikis, and More. In Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 206-239). Allyn & Bacon.

www.powtoon.com
https://www.powtoon.com/show/bmKFCttcAkc/simple-toon/#/

Friday, February 13, 2015

Digital Blog Post #E

Considering I'm planning to become a mathematics teacher, problem solving is going to be a huge obstacle many students will have to overcome. There are many software's and apps that can help students better understand what they are learning. I plan to also help my students as much as possible in explaining anything they don't understand.

At my work, when children are at centers, I always look to see what games they are playing on the computer. Since they are kindergarteners, they don't know many games or how to get to some of the more experienced ones. When I walk around to see what they are on I see games that involve knowing shapes, words, letters, or numbers. Some play games with animals and during the game there is a person talking about the animals they are passing or that they pick to play with. I personally think games like these are perfect for children, it educates them while entertaining them.

A great game to play also is Jeopardy. My teachers used it in the past for science, math, English, any subject. Its a great way to get the students involved in what's being taught while having fun playing a game. They also enjoy the game a little more if there is a prize in the end, which could be something big or small or even just a winning for everyone who participated. I always thought this was a fun game when I was in school and I think most children would enjoy it also.








Work Cited

http://flipquiz.me/u/cayward/math-problems

Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2011). Researching and Evaluating Internet Information. In Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 112-141). Allyn & Bacon.

Digital Blod Post #D

Many students don't know how search engines work. You type something and press search or the 'enter' key and boom a list of different websites come up. When I first stared Elementary school, I didn't know what a computer was or what you did with it. Today at my work, the child ask to go on the computer to play games or do homework. If children aren't taught the proper way to search a topic and know whether there source is authentic or not, then they could potentially get in trouble for plagiarism or something along those lines. Two of the major search engines used today are Google and Bing. You see commercials on TV of people picking the search engine they like the most.



My mind stayed in the same direction for all three of the topics I wanted to reflect about. My next one is ensuring safe online experiences for students. I think it is very important to make sure all children are doing what they should be on the computers and what happens if they aren't following the directions given. In the book says 'To ensure safe online experiences teachers can preselect sites for students to visit' (pg. 126). At the school I work at, they have all search engines blocked except Bing. Teachers and students both have everything blocked, so not only did the teachers preselect the search engine for students but the principal picked and made it equal across the board. When you type something in the search engines, you never know what you are going to see.

The last topic I wanted to reflect on is plagiarism. If students are educated at a young age that plagiarism is serious and something you shouldn't do, then it isn't such an issue as they get older. As a teacher you have to know ways to prevent the students from 'accidently' plagiarizing someone's work. In college teachers use the website Turnitin.com to check that the student hasn't plagiarized anything. My professor recently used this on one of my papers, but I also submitted to Turnitin.com before I submitted it to him. If teachers let their students know that there are websites like this and that they should (don't have to) turn their paper into that before the teacher so they know whether they did plagiarize on accident and where it was at.

I think as long as students know how to use a search engine and how to correctly cite work, they shouldn't have a problem doing research papers for teachers. I wasn't taught until my freshmen year of college how to properly cite and now its simple to me.

Work Cited

https://bubbl.us/mindmap

Maloy, R., Verock-O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2011). Researching and Evaluating Internet Information. In Transforming Learning with New Technologies (pp. 112-141). Allyn & Bacon.

Friday, January 30, 2015

Digital Blog Post #C

The first method from chapter three that stuck out to me was one-on-one tutoring. Most children don't realize the important of knowing what is being taught. I was one of those students that crammed all the information I could, into my brain the night before a test. I had plenty of opportunities to ask for help from my teacher or the tutor at my school, but I was always too shy. One-on-one allows the children to get the knowledge needed for a subject by themselves. There are no distractions and the children can be open enough to ask the questions they need because they are alone.

The second method is inquiry learning. I like this method because it reminds me of the scientific method. The students don't just learn, they research and find new things out to further their learning. Some students can't just learn from a two hour lecture, they need more. I always liked investigating more on the subject a teacher was teaching and I think students nowadays would enjoy it too.

The third method I enjoyed reading about was Active learning. I really like this concept because children like hands-on and there needs to be more hands on activities for them to do. The school I work at has the child play computer games for math, reading, or writing, but it's engaging them by making them answer the questions to move on. The children ask to play these games when we have tech time and its great to me.

This chapter presented some amazing methods for teaching and I enjoyed it more then most chapter for my other classes. The three methods that I presented I will one day be using in my classroom to engage my students.



Wordle: blog#c Resources

Blog #C by cayw - ToonDoo - World's fastest way to create cartoons! (Blog #C by cayw - ToonDoo - World's fastest way to create cartoons!)
http://www.toondoo.com/cartoon/8426626

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Wordle - blog#c (Wordle - blog#c)
http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/8478728/blog%23c

Friday, January 16, 2015

Digital Blog Post #A

The first concept that stuck out to me was digital childhood. I work with children from the ages of 5-11 (Kindergarten to 5th grade). I started working with children when I was 17, so I've seen a lot. When I first started, not many children were interested in technology. Majority of children wanted to be outside whether it was playing a group game or playing on the jungle gym. Now almost every child has at least one from of technology. If they don't have their own technology they know how to use their parents and the parents let them. In the article, "The Emergence of Digital Childhood- Is This Really Wise?", the author pointed out reasons why technology at a young age isn't good. Like giving a 7 year old an iPhone. They now have access to the internet and social media, meaning predators can find them so much faster. I just think all this technology isn't good for children unless parents set rules and boundaries. The video below shows how technology in classrooms is good.

Next would be digital identity, which is a hit and miss for me. I personally will find myself on my phone checking social medias, text messages, or just looking at it because I have nothing else to do. I don't want my children growing up not knowing what the grass outside looks like. That's were I don't like technology, because there is more to life then computers, iPads, tablets, etc. I've watched children cry when a parent takes their technology away. Crying because an iPad was taken away, really? As a teacher I have to learn to work with technology for my students education benefit. I know I will be able to overcome that because as a teacher I can set limits on how much tech time the children get or what they are going on.


The third concept that struck me was what technologies will have the greatest impact on the teaching and learning in the next 5 years. Although I work with children, I also work with teachers 4 days out of the week. I have seen teachers go from using projectors to boards that are interactive now. I know some teachers aren't really into children playing with technology all the time, but there are some that are helping children in ways that will benefit their education. I think schools may start having younger children bringing their electronics to school to do their work on, so their are more computers for the less fortunate to use. The technology is always changing, so by 2020 they could have all new technology for children to be using and teachers teaching them all to use.

In conclusion, becoming a teacher in the 21st century is going to be touch at times but all worth it. I may have children at times telling me how to use technology, but then I can show them ways to use other sites to benefit not only their education on technology but also on some subjects in school. At the end of the day, I will be happy using or not using technology, as long as I'm teaching children.

Resources:

Krashiqi, Justina. (2310, December 17). Digital Technology's Impact on Learning. Retrived from http://youtu.be/x_GnCYZ2NW4

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc. 

Mohler, A. (2011, November 30). The Emergence of Digital Childhood — Is This Really Wise? Retrieved January 16, 2015, from http://www.albertmohler.com/2011/11/30/the-emergence-of-digital-childhood-is-this-really-wise/