Looking back at all the things that I have done in my
Introduction to Technology for Educators class I realize how much I have
learned. As a 33 year old college student I have not been in a K-12 class in a
long time. Times have defiantly changed since my chalkboard days. It is amazing
to me to see how technology is really changing the way the classroom works. As
a future teacher the things that I have learned in this class will benefit me
greatly. Working in a group I learned how to collaborate to create a lesson
plan and a Wikispace. These two projects taught me a lot about the ways to
communicate through technology to work as a group. At times it was challenging but
in the end it is something I can show my students how to do. The lesson plan
project also taught me a lot about curriculum standards. “National curriculum
standards narrow the “what to teach” question to specific topics and skills,
but still leave considerable discretion about how to teach that content.”( Maloy,
et al, 2013, p.82) Along the way I also worked on a WebQuest page. The project
taught me how to create a step by step lesson for the day. In the process I
learned how to integrate technology into any lesson and how to create something
that students could do and make it fun in the process. At the end of the class
I created a teacher web page. During the process of creating the web page I
learned how to set up a web page (which is something I have never done), then I
learned how to customize it to make it fun for student and parent to read. I
also added all of my previous projects to the page and it made me more aware of
the things I had accomplished in this class and how much I have learned.
Periodically we wrote discussions in the class. I think the discussions were a
valuable part to the class. It allowed me to think on a topic, write about it,
and then get feedback from other students. Reading other students posts also
allowed me to see how others view the same topics as me. For the legal and
ethics discussion I think almost everyone decided to write on cyberbullying.
With technology so readily available, kids are now using it to bully other
kids. The textbook describes cyberbullying as “willful and repeated harm through the use of
computers, cell phones and other electronic equipment”. ( Maloy, et al, 2013,
p.82) It was great to see so many people passionate about the subject. In time
I hope the issue gets resolved. Over all the class was very educational. I
think the textbook was a great resource for everything we did in the class. All
of the projects, discussions, and even this blog have been helpful in making me
understand how truly important technology is in the classroom. I have no
suggestions for improvement. This was a great class and I wouldn't change a thing.
Resources:
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.
Mayer, A. (2012, May 6). Clip from Smart Phones Episode of
'Til Death. Retrieved May 3, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqD5VsCtwV4
Petrie, T. (2014, July 19). Linn Schoolhouse Teacher's Desk.
Retrieved May 3, 2015, from
https://www.flickr.com/photos/58869428@N05/14671948366/in/photolist-omvz61-rAHmp6-9JAgK6-4ABY56-rABNMW-ioHQTB-qDHNs7-BmcTF-cpgxtq-rRTVuf-dwQSKy-dpxc4i-5o37tw-oDB5ba-ommQEy-auPuAq-4zwJXY-hHBuPe-o6Mwi3-5VMR24-8Z1KSm-msMS8K-fuwq6c-auzZYn-9CNCeQ-iJKAoQ-4AGeLW-ok1AtL-o5yRqg-4efaNz-jsfXVL-omQurb-o2TLg2-msP8YE-o5xX9d-dgQLGp-dRdSMd-Hyorj-eZiK4N-8ZHQvc-gwGon-hnKgTh-fnWU6T-eKBniR-9NY6K6-o7gcXY-78hHJy-mo4x6T-2gSUy-9iBcs7
Chapter 12 in our text book is titled “Integrating
Technology and Creating Change as Teacher Leaders”. It has a lot of great
information about using technology to become a better teacher and learner. The
first concept that I thought was important is technology integration. Technology Integration is the “way that
teachers connect technology into all aspects of their instructional and
professional work” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p.298). This allows teachers to use new
and creative ways to teach their students. Technology integrated into the
lessons can also make learning for the students more fun and exciting. It also
provides more options for teachers to provide a better education journey for their
students. One good example of integrating technology into a lesson is virtual
field trips that I talked about in the last my last blog on chapter 6. I think
it is a great idea for teachers to use anything they can to make learning
better for their students.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
The second concept is educational change. I think this is a
very important thing for teachers to understand and keep up with. The world
around us is constantly changing and keeping up with that change as a teacher
is important. Students need to know what is going on around them and they deserve
the option to get the best education available to them. Sometimes the best
education means that new technologies should be available to them and used. Change
also allows teachers to modify something that isn't working for them or their students
and make it better. Below is a YouTube video from the Council of Educational
Change.
The third concept, BYOT programs, is a great example of
integrating technology and educational change. BYOT (Bring Your Own Technology)
Programs allows students to bring their technologies from home and use them in
the classroom. There is some controversy about this because not all students
have technology to bring in or it might not be as updates as other students
technology. There is also worry that teachers won’t be as up to date on the
technology as the students. I think that these are things we shouldn't worry
about. Students can always share devices in a group and if teachers aren't as
up to date with technology then maybe it can be a learning experience for both
the teacher and the students. I think this is a great program and more schools
should use it.
In conclusion, as the world changes around us it is
important for teachers to keep up with and be aware of changes. Using technology
integration with educational change and BYOT programs can make learning better
for students. It can provide new and exciting learning experiences for students
and teachers might also learn a thing or two along the way.
Resources:
Council for Educational Change. (2014, April 23). Council
for Educational Change. Retrieved April 18, 2015, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4Ec77ekbnY
Kahl, C. (2015, April 18). Banner. Retrieved April 18, 2015,
from https://magic.piktochart.com/output/5620191-untitled-banner
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.
Chapter 6 in the text book was all about online learning and
using educational websites and apps to help teachers use technology in an
educational way. The first concept that interested me is social bookmarking. Bookmarking is probably something everyone
does when they are on the internet. You find a website you find interesting and
you bookmark it so you can later go into your bookmarks and find it easily.
Social bookmarking expands that concept by allowing someone to take their bookmarks
and share them with other users. These bookmarks are public and be added onto
by other users. If there is a bookmark you don’t want everyone to see you can
also keep it private. I think that this is a great resource for teachers. It
allows you to easily go back to websites that you have found useful in the
past, plus it allows you to share your information with everyone else. Looking
at other teacher’s social bookmarks could also give you great ideas for new
lessons.
Another great concept from chapter 6 is information alert.
Information alert is “an electronic notice that new information about a topic
has just become available in some electronic publication format.” (Maloy, et
al, 2013, p.135) These alerts allow teachers to constantly be updated on topics
that are useful to them. I think this is a great time saving tool that as a
future teacher I would defiantly use. Not only is it time saving but it would also
keep me updated on the latest information and that would also insure that my
lessons would be up to date. I think it is important to give student lessons
that are as updated as possible.
The third concept that I wanted to learn more about is visual
field trips. Visual field trips are a way for student to take a field trip
without even leaving the classroom. The field trip in its entirety is taken by
going online and viewing it on a computer. This can be done by one student
viewing it on the computer or by projecting it onto a screen for the entire
class to view. I did a little research and found a great article Get Outta Class With Virtual Field Trips. This article includes a lot of like for virtual
field trip links that will be useful to me as a future teacher. I think
providing visual field trip will allow students to learn more about the world
around them. It will also make the lessons fun and interactive.Below is an example of a virtual field trip that I found on YouTube.
In conclusion, chapter 6 does a great job of explaining new
ways for teachers to use technology to better their teaching abilities. Social
bookmarking and information alerts will allow teachers to keep up to date with
the information they need and it will also allow them to easily find and share that
information. Visual field trips will also let teachers take their students on
tours around the world without even leaving their classroom. All of these tools
are only going to make learning and teaching better.
Resources:
Kahl, C. (2015, April 12). Explore - Poster by chasity.kahl6.
Retrieved April 12, 2015, from
https://www.canva.com/design/DABN_R6WyVo/JuNTwiCWQyLDvW84D4pWzw/view?&utm_content=DABN_R6WyVo&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton&cc_from_uid=UABN_VjhVUI
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.
VirtualFieldTripsnet. (2014, November 1). Virtual Field Trip
- Amazon Rainforest. Retrieved April 12, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEsV5rqbVNQ
Chapter 11 in the textbook is about engaging students in performance assessment and reflective learning. It has a ton on good information on building portfolios and doing assessments. The first concept that I wanted to explore further is preassessments. Preassessments are various strategies that teachers use to assess the knowledge of their students. This makes the teachers aware of what the students know and what the students need to work on. Teachers can then start working on their lesson plans. Teachers can use multiple things to assess their student’s knowledge. Some of those things are “pretests, writing prompts, graphic organizers, observations, questions, and surveys.” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p.285) I think that these strategies are all great ways for a teacher to assess their students. I think it is very important for a teacher to know where their students are in their education journey. It gives both the student and the teacher a good starting point. A good online preassessment you can create is a FlipQuiz. Below is a link of an assessment that I created on this chapter.
The second concept that caught my attention was reflection. Reflection is a way for a teacher to look back at what they have done and think about what they can do to to better. Some lessons may need to be modified while others may not be useful and they may need to be cut. A good way for a teacher to do this is to maintain a portfolio and keep it updated. "It is a meaningful and effective way to summarize the knowledge, skills, and dispositions one has gained into the complex process of teaching."(Maloy, et al, 2013, p.281) I think it is also a great way for teachers to keep up with new ways of teaching and technology's that can assist them in creating better lessons.
“Study the past if you would define the future.”
― Confucius
The third and last concept is digital teaching portfolio. A digital teaching portfolio is "a collection of educational and professional materials stored in an electronic format."(Maloy, et al, 2013, p.279) This is a great way to teachers to keep everything that have learned in one spot and allow them to go back and view everything. This is also where a teacher would go when they are doing their reflection. A great use of this portfolio is so teachers can reuse information for their lesson. All the research done to find the information is stored and can easily be found and reused. I think this is a great thing for all teachers to have. It is a time saver, a learning tool, and a good use of technology in the classroom.
In conclusion, technology can be seen throughout the teaching process. Teachers can use surveys online and other technology for student preassessments. This helps both the students and the teachers. If a teacher creates a digital teaching portfolio they can also use everything they collect to reflect on what they are teaching and what can be improved upon. This will assist teachers in keeping up with new teaching techniques and new technology that can be used in the classroom.
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.
Chapter 4 in the textbook is all about using technology to develop
lesson plans and curriculum. The first concept I wanted to explore more was
academic content. Academic content is “the facts, concepts, ideas, skills, and
understanding” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p.76) that a teacher wants to share with their
students. Although there are certain things that a teacher must teach their
students for curriculum requirements and national standards, there is a lot of
wiggle room as to how a teacher can present that information. I think that a
teacher can get creative with academic content and make lessons fun. Teachers
can also use digital tools to get their points across to students.
The second concept that caught my eye was electronic grading
software. This software allows teachers to keep track of a student’s grades,
helps teachers keep track of attendance, update their lesson plans, and so much
more. This is a great example of how technology is helping teachers. I remember
being in grade school and everything was written by hand and filed away in
filing cabinets. Attendance was kept by an attendance book. It’s is amazing to
me that using software such as gradebooks4teachers online can help a teacher be
faster and better at their jobs. This particular website offers worksheets,
lesson plans, lesson plan templates, how to guides, and so much more. Having
easy access to things like this is something that I think will be very valuable
to me when I become a teacher.
The third concept that interested me was student performance
rubrics. This allows a teacher to clearly state what they expect from a student
and how they will be graded for each assignment. If a rubric is done right then
the student will know what they need to be doing and what they need to accomplish
to get the highest points. To me it is like a check list of things that need to
be done. Gradebooks4teachers also had a lot of great information on rubrics and
even gives examples. I can’t imagine being a teacher 20 years ago and not
having the technology we have now that assists us so much.
In conclusion, technology advances has allowed teachers to their
jobs faster and more efficiently. Technology can allow teachers to get creative
with academic content. It can also be used to create student performance
rubrics and it allows teachers to access electronic grading software. All of
these things help teachers and in turn it will create a better learning
environment for the students.
Resouces:
"Gradebook and Electronic Grading Software:
GradeBooks4Teachers." Gradebook and
Electronic Grading Software: GradeBooks4Teachers. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.gradebooks4teachers.com/>.
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.
"Tagxedo - Word Cloud with Styles." Tagxedo. Web. 22 Mar. 2015.
<http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html>.
Chapter 9 in our text book goes over a lot of multimedia
technology that can help teachers and students.
The first technology that interested me was PowerPoint. PowerPoint is
just one of many presentation software products that can be used. As a college
student I have not only seen PowerPoint presentations but I have also created
them. PowerPoint is great for student because they can be fun and interesting
to watch. It is also great for teachers because when you are creating a
presentation you can personalize it to go with your lesson. Teachers can also
add graphics, videos, pop ups, and fun fonts to make presentations fun. PowerPoint’s
can also be worked on my students as an individual project or teachers can make
it more interesting and let students work on a presentation as a group. Another
presentation software is Prezi. It is a great alternative to PowerPoint and can
be found online. Below is a short Prezi that I created.
The second topic that interested me is YouTube. YouTube is a
website that videos are hosted on. Almost anyone can upload videos about almost
anything. I myself have looked up how to videos, movies trailers, and other
things on YouTube. I never really connected YouTube as something that was
educational until I read this chapter. Something I didn't know is that “Many
educational organizations also have their own YouTube channel.” (Maloy, et al, 2013, p.226) Teachers
can also create YouTube videos to help students with their lessons. I think
this is a great way for students to be able to review what is going on in
class. It would also be good for teachers who have flipped classrooms to create
videos to go along with each lesson for student to watch at home.
The third topic that excited me was alphabet books. I think
that allowing early education students to create their own alphabet books is a
fun and creative way for student to learn the alphabet. Each book would be
unique to the student and in the process of creating it they will be associating
the letters of the alphabet to different objects. Something like this would be
good for a student’s spelling, vocabulary, and reading skills. Teachers could
also let each student show the class their finished books and have the students
read the books to other students. I think this would make a great lesson for
teachers to create for their students. Below I posted a video on How to Make aPop-Up Alphabet Book for Children.
In conclusion, multimedia technology is a great tool for
teachers and students to use. Using presentation software, YouTube, and
alphabet books are all things that can improve a students learning journey.
They are also great tools for teachers to put to use to make learning more
interactive and fun. All of these tools can be used to put a student’s
imagination to good use and teach them along the way. With the help of
technology learning is limitless.
Resources:
100duribe. "How to Make a Pop-Up Alphabet Book for
Children." YouTube. YouTube, 11 Feb. 2011. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ji0lKtjA7Vk>.
"Be a Great Presenter." Prezi.com. Web. 15 Mar.
2015. <https://prezi.com/>.
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.
Chapter 10 in our text book focuses on using technology to
help all students succeed. The first concept that popped out at me was
differentiated instruction. This concept focuses on teachers creating lesson
plans that will meet the learning needs of each student. To make this work as a
teacher I would need to be aware of how each of my students learns the best.
Some students may learn better doing hands on group work while other students
who become easily distracted in a group may work better doing something individually.
Learning how each student works and then building lesson plans that fit the
needs of each student is something that I think is a very useful tool in
creating a great learning environment for the students.
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve
me and I learn.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Not only is differentiated instruction important but also universal
design is just as important. Differentiated instruction focused meeting the
learning needs of the child as an individual while universal design focuses on
the physical design of the class and school. Universal design is how the
schools are designed and set up to meet the needs of all students. For example,
children with wheel chairs will need access ramps and door ways that are wide
enough to accommodate a wheel chair. As a future teacher I think it is very
important that all students have the access to reach their classrooms without
running into problems. It is important that All students feel welcome and
comfortable.
The next concept, universal design for learning or UDL, is “the
application of universal design principles to educational settings.”( Maloy, et
al, 2013, p.250) This concept is close to differentiated instruction but it is
not the same. The concept of USL involves teachers also thinking about and
including students with disabilities into their lesson plans. As a teacher you
need to be aware of not only how a student learns but also if they have
disabilities that would prevent them from participating with the class. If that
is the case then you need to find a way to overcome that obstacle and include
the student. A great way to do that is through assistive technology. There are
many technologies that can help students and making yourself aware of these
technologies and putting them to use to help students is very important. An
online article, Universal Design forLearning - Improved Access for All, explains USL is a very simple and
understanding way. “Universally designed curriculum overcomes limitations by
incorporating three principles of flexibility into the design: Multiple methods
of presentation, multiple options for participation, multiple means of
expression. This built-in flexibility provides into a wider range of options for
students to choose from - meaning the curriculum adapts to the student, rather
than the other way around.”(Firchow, 2010)
In conclusion, it is important for teacher to do their best
to make each student feel comfortable in the classroom and also feel like they
are a part of the class. To do this you can use differentiated instruction, universal
design for learning, and also make sure the class is accessible to everyone
with universal design.
Kahl, C. (2015, March 1). LEARNING FOR ALL | Padlet.
Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://padlet.com/chasity_kahl/r7elgx1h3srd
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.
