Reflective Post : Final

Final post for the Introduction to Technology for Teachers course. 

Photo found on Flickr credit to Sj Liew

During this semester I have enjoyed the challenges of this class. It has given me many tools that I intend to use in the future in my own classroom. Technology is really just another tool among the many that teachers already have ,but I never would have thought that so many different uses could be made with it.  This class has opened my eyes to many different ways that I can keep my class fresh for students and even parents. One of the two things that made this class so educational is the book obviously and the other is the lesson plan. The book, Transforming Learning with New Technologies has so much useful information that I plan to keep it and even recommend to my peers. My favorite chapter is eight, Communication and Collaboration with Social Media because after taking this class I've really come to appreciate collaboration in the classroom, I see the usefulness of having children working together.  The second reason why this was a very good class is the lesson plan. I really enjoyed this lesson plan especially the projects that not only taught me how to use technology but also made it interesting every single week. My favorite was the WebQuest project because it was so fun for me to really use my "creative bone". I may now have some bias toward using technology in my class but at least now I have information to support why I like a class that uses technology. Most importantly is that this class has given me a boost of confidence, and encouragement on my goal to become a future teacher.

Thank you for having me in your class.

Reference:

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 2 - 315). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon

Digital Blog Post # L- Chapter 12

Integrating Technology and Creating Change as Teacher Leaders

This is the final chapter of the book and is basically giving information on how to be the best leader in a classroom while using technology. Educators are now seeing the benefits of using technology in the classroom but are also still sticking to the basics a good median between technology and old school.

Interesting topics:

1 Stages of Technology Integration

2 Writing Grants

3 Bring Your Own Technology Programs


1.)

Here is a link to view the flow chart using Gliffy.com

2.) A struggle for many teachers is the fact that they will have limited resources to do their job. It can be a serious frustration that becomes a wall for even the best educators. Although there are ways that teachers can get funding, specifically writing grants or presenting their project to organizations that can provide funds to them. It is  skill that may take some time to develop but will serve as a very valuable asset to get outside funding for almost any tool a teacher may need. Just like everything throughout this book it can be used with technology and the book calls this Crowd Funding, which is using an online website that specifically helps with raising money for classrooms the two websites provided are Kickstarter.com and PeerBacker.com. Being a good teacher requires individuals to be very passionate but more importantly adaptive even when presented with an issue that seems out of their control.

3.) An interesting topic that appears in the book concerning the participation gap between those students who come from more privileged homes and those who dont. The problem is a teacher has to move through a school year trying to give lessons that allow the same level of access to information which can be difficult. This is especially true with technology because not all students will have access to it or at least the same level of technology. There are some programs that are trying to bridge that gap and one of them is the BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology) program which is pushing for students to bring their own technology into the classroom. Now, this initially sounds like a good idea because it will definitely cuts the cost of what schools will have to spend but at the cost of still having gaps. Some aspects of it are useful but there are several flaws with this program. First, for students that have access to the highest quality of technology it may give an unfair advantage to those with older models. Also adding to the fact that the devices (phones,tablets and laptops) that students in these kinds of programs will be different. A teacher will need to know how to operate different software which will take additional time and training. This take on the participation gap may not be the solution but it isn't completely wrong because as technology becomes more and more advanced becomes more available to more people. So it may be possible one day to use this program.

References

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.

Digital Blog Post # K - Chapter 6

Fostering Online Learning with Educational Websites and Apps

In this chapter the focus is on organization, virtual field trips, and virtual schools. Staying organized is a huge part of being a teacher but not everyone is as organized as they should be at the beginning of their career. Using the internet opens up many doors if used properly, it can become whatever someone needs it to be. The two other issues in the post are similar and will talk the benefits of the internet for students in the classroom and at home.

Topics of Interests:

1. Managing Information 
2. Virtual Field Trip
3. Virtual Schools

1.) To create this chart Pikrochart was used for information about the website please click the link.



2.) A teacher that transitions from a non-technology filled environment to a technology rich one can appreciate of how convenient the internet makes things. In this case its with field trips, younger students are walking sponges that take in a good majority of what they see and hear. This is why field trips can be so effective for their growth. Although, there can be complications which is normal they can put a real damper on the overall mood of a class if plans change. Luckily, technology allows for virtual experiences that an educator can use to send their students wherever they can imagine. With a little bit of creativity using Google maps in a lesson plan can give students excitement to learn and understand different cultures. Having students work together or separately it doesn't matter the benefits will still be there. Although, virtual field trips should not take place of the real thing only when needed because it is in the end still happening within the four walls of a classroom.

3.) An interesting topic brought up in this chapter is the separation of agreement on having completely virtual schools. A virtual school is a school that has students learning primarily from online courses and as beneficial as technology can be is a complete online school year a good thing? To much of good usually has adverse effects with foods and the same applies with having schools totally online. The book discusses having k-12 virtual classrooms which is fine but over time may  interfere with the human interaction that younger children need to develop. Moderation is important because there can be no denying that technology isn't helping students but things like collaborative work become very difficult. At higher age groups having a mixture of online courses with in class schooling would be ideal which is a practice that some schools are taking up, this is called blended learning.

References

Maloy, R. (2011). Fostering Online Learning with Educational Websites and Apps. In Transforming learning with new technologies (Vol. 2, pp. 130 - 151). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Blog Post# J - Chapter 11

Engaging Students in Performance Assessment and Reflective Learning

This chapter is relatively short but contains very good information for teachers about creating portfolios and adding information to it making them more appealing to potential school. It also sheds light on the value of providing different ways to assess students that can help students engage further into what they have learned.

Three important topics:

1. The Role of Assessment in Teaching
2. Elements of a Teacher Portfolio
3. Democratic Schools and Classrooms

1.) Educators are tasked with evaluating their students at any level and assessing what they have learned in the classroom. Teachers also must be evaluated by their supervisors to ensure that what is being taught is correct, meeting the standards of the school. The typical way that evaluations or assessments are done is by giving a test but the book provides three other ways this can be done.

• New Teaching Assessment : How supervisors will assess a teacher's work
• Student Assessment : How you will assess students' learning and your own effectiveness as                                      a teacher.
• Student Self Assessment : How students will participate in the assessment process.

It should be obvious that new teachers are assessed and also students as well but what is interesting is the last kind of assessment discussed. Student self assessment, which is helpful for the students in that it asks the question,"What have you learned?" which should take some time for them to answer. It is an alternative or even a task that can be added on to an end of semester exam for example. Which requires students to self evaluate, this not only helps them better understand what they've learned but also provides the teacher information to add to their own records.

2.) Evaluations are inevitable for current and future teachers, and being prepared for them is very important to becoming a good educator. One of the best ways to be prepared is by creating an electronic teacher portfolio, which the book describes as a "collection of educational and professional materials stored in an electronic format".  In the past this was done and stored in large paper files but now that we have been gifted with technology all of the information can be stored on a flashdrive or in the cloud. It also allows easy access to those who need to see

 A teacher portfolio should contain the following:

• A Resume
• Teaching Philosophy
• Lesson Plan
• Level of Experience
• Academic Experience

3.) Here is a video found through I.D.E.A (Institute for Democratic Education in America) that gives  statistics to paint a picture of what schools in America focus on and what they should focus on. The organization is rich with information and ideas on bettering the American schooling system.

                                   

Found on YouTube credit to goodideafolks 

The ultimate goal of all teachers should be to help students achieve their greatest potential in and outside of the classroom. Although this is true it seems as though schools are just preparing students for the next big standardized test. There is a place for standardized testing, they should not be thrown out of curriculums, but they should not be prioritized the way that they currently are. Students are individuals that have strengths and weaknesses just like everyone else. What should be prioritized teaching students to learn more about themselves, engage them in lessons that show them what they may be able to achieve one day. 

References:

• Maloy, R. (2011). Engaging Students in Performance Assessment and Reflective Learning. InIn Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed., Vol. 2, pp. 276 - 293). Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
• Make Your Voice Heard: Discover Democratic Education. (2010, March 10). Retrieved April 5, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_LbZ3XcfK4
• Institute for Democratic Education in America | IDEA. (n.d.). Retrieved April 6, 2015, from http://www.democraticeducation.org/

Digital Blog Post # I - Chapter 4

Designing Lessons and Developing Curriculum with Technology

When teachers oversee a class they need to have a plan, rushing into a lesson with no prior planning can be fun in that students may be engaged in the spontaneity. Although, this tactic is not always successful just as anything else in life. Educators should follow a curriculum and lesson plans for their classroom. This chapter discusses how to make a lesson plan that follows the standards of the school, keeps students engaged, and properly evaluates the children.

Topics of interest:

1.  Lesson Development
2. Assessing and Evaluating Students
3. Approaches to Lesson Planning
1. Student Learning Objectives
2. Understanding by Design

1.) 

If you are not able to see the Emaze presentation please click this link - Lesson Development

2.) Individuals that finally become educators keep many of the habits of teachers that they've had over the years. New teachers may give long lectures, assign hours of homework, or any number of teaching strategies. What many new educators struggle with is how to properly evaluate the students in their classroom. The book provides several different strategies, none of which are the "perfect" way but can be useful in what they are trying to accomplish. Some of the ways to evaluate students may be obvious such as classes that prepare for standardized testing and others that are more customized to helping students creativity grow. An interesting topic brought up in the book states that technology is a very important and successful tool for assessment but, for elementary it may not be as effective. This is due to the fact that a good portion of what children learn in elementary school can not be given an exact percentage. So standardized testing was put into place to get accurate percentages but setting a bar that not all students can reach does not seem like the best course of action either.When broken down to its core schools and educators should be making curriculums that give students a hunger to learn more about a particular subject. Standardized tests have their purpose but they do not always accurately define the level of intellect that a student is at.  James Popham states it best, "We must evaluate students so we can make more appropriate decisions about how to educate them." (2010,p.5)

3.)  When organizing a lesson plan a teacher has to choose whether it will be following one of two approaches: the Student Learning Objectives approach or the Understanding by Design (UBD) approach.

Student Learning Objectives provides guidelines that students have to follow. The teacher tells who,what,when, how much, and lastly how it will be evaluated. It is the more commonly used of the two types of lesson planning because it has been used for a much longer time. UBD which is different in its approach, is very interesting and was first discussed by two educators, Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (1998,2007, 2011).  It has three distinct stages, the first has the teacher find the enduring understanding which is the "big idea of the lesson and then the essential questions which is just a way of organizing information for students. The second stage has the teacher making assessment strategies to show what the students will have learned once they complete the lesson. Finally, the last stage actually has the same steps as the Student Learning Objectives approach. Understanding by Design may take some more time to complete but though the help of technology it is much more
beneficial for the students.


References:

• Maloy, R. (2011). Designing Lessons and Developing Curriculum with Technology. In Transforming learning with new technologies (2nd ed., pp. 74 - 95). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
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Digital Blog Post # H - Chapter 9

Photo credit to Denise Krebs on Flickr

Expressing Creativity with Multimedia Technologies

This chapter will talk about sharing information through the use of digital technologies. Teachers in the past have always had at least one project that has a student present to the classroom. In these lesson plans students go to the front of the class and speak about the topic that they have researched. This is a necessary step in building up confidence and speaking skills for students but what if there was a way to make the audience bigger, much bigger. By using multimedia technology a student can share their work with the world and not just through one way. There are Podcasts, PowerPoint's and even things that are generally overlooked as entertainment like YouTube. Learning should not be restricted to just what a teacher creates either, for so long teachers have had their thumb on how their students should learn but the world is diverse just like a classroom. Students should be aloud to also create because their imaginations are most likely greater than their own teachers and not only does it allow students more freedom with learning but it also grants them the feeling of confidence. Building something from nothing is satisfying especially when not only the classroom will see the effort and work put into the project.

Topics of interest in this chapter:

1. Next-Generation Web 2.0 Presentation Tools
2. Video in the Classroom

1.) Some very useful websites to incorporate into lesson plans:

1. Prezi - a website that allows users to create their very own presentations that allow many different modifications like zooming in and out of slides and creating personalized paths for views to take.
2. Animoto - allows the ability to create videos using pictures and sound clips. 
3. Glogster - a multimedia technology that allows the creation of blogs that can be customized in-depth. 

With good instruction these three websites can be used to move learning to a higher level much faster. Educator must be equipped with the right tools for their job just like any other profession.

2.) Using video in classrooms opens up a new way of learning because it is multimodal keeping the level of interest high for students of all ages. What's interesting about integrating video into classrooms especially in the 21 century is that children feel at home with technology and will be more open to using it for learning. The majority of the iGeneration spends much of their time on a computer rather than in front of a TV so it would make sense for teachers to follow suit.

Our sight is our most important sense, people depend highly on its ability to understand the world. To explain something without seeing it can be a timely task but through the use of technology students that suffer in school because their lack of visual aides have a better chance. Although, this does assist visual learners, they are not the only students that will benefit from video lessons.



Reference:

Maloy, R. (2011). Expressing Creativity with Multimedia Technologies. In Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston, Massachusetts: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Digital Blog Post # G - Chapter 10

Promoting Success for All Students through Technology

Educators have a very difficult job that requires them to be skilled with not only their desired age group or level but also with areas that they may not be comfortable with. Diverse is what a teacher should be because every student that walks into a classroom has a different struggle. This chapter addresses the students that have disabilities or impairments and gives information on how to teach them.


Topics of interest in this chapter:

1. Differentiated Instruction and Universal Design for Learning

1.)

By jperry410 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

By jperry410 | View this Toon at ToonDoo | Create your own Toon

Universal design and differentiated instruction are related in that they are both trying to help students learn in their own way. Universal design is more controlled by the teachers lesson plan and curriculum. Differentiated instruction is where an educator allows for more collaborative work. There can be many different types of learners in one classroom at a time and to engage them all with a single approach doesn't seem fair. The three main types of learners are auditory, kinesthetic and visual. The three are used together most of the time to learn but one or two can be more dominant. Although it may seem strange to excel in one area it does not mean that it is still not a gift that can be used. How can the auditory learner (learns better by hearing) get the best out of an assignment that must be read silently in class? A way to fix that issue would be to make a lesson plan that requires students to read aloud in groups. Educators need to engage students and keep them hungry for knowledge. It is interesting to see that there are still many educators who are monotonous in the way they teach. They have been teaching the same way for 20 years and sometimes more. How can teachers expect their students to grow if they themselves are stuck in their 3rd or 4th year of teaching? A way to avoid being trapped in a repetitive routine is to connect with students and make lesson plans that will allow them to reach their personal potential.

References:

Universal Design for Learning (UDL). (n.d.). Retrieved March 2, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaSZqgr2eUM

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies (Vol. 2, pp. 244 - 273). Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.