Digital Blog Post #I – Chapter 4

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.

Created by Chasity Kahl on Tagxedo

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>.

Digital Blog Post #H – Chapter 9

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.

http://prezi.com/sk2bkfx1tiu0/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

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.

Digital Blog Post #G – Chapter 10

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)

Created by Chasity Kahl on Padlet

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.

Resources:

Craig, S. (2013, June 4). Universal Design for Learning. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8QWLrI-G78

Firchow, N. (2010, January 1). Universal Design for Learning - Improved Access for All. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.greatschools.org/special-education/assistive-technology/785-universal-design-for-learning-improved-access-for-all.gs?page=all

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.

Digital Blog Post #F – Chapter 8

Chapter 8 in the textbook was full of information about communication and collaboration. The first concept in the chapter that caught my eye was Electronic Communication Between Teachers and Student. They list email, text messaging, teacher or classroom websites, blogs, microblogging, online discussions, and wikis as great sources for communication between students and teachers. Each of these sources has its own benefit in keeping communication between students and teachers active and students engaged. As a teacher it is important to pick some of these options and start opening up the communication line. When I become a teacher I think I would defiantly use email, wikis, and text messaging. Emails I can send to not only students but also to parent to give important information or updates. Text messages can also be very useful in the class and out of it. Surveys or group polls in class are only a couple of interactive things that can be done with text messaging in the classroom. Also teachers can send text message reminders to students about important due dates.

The next concept that I wanted to explore further is wikis. Wikis “are websites that teachers and students create and edit together by reading and revising each other’s ideas and comments.”( Maloy, et al, 2013, p.187) One of the websites to go to if you want to start the process is Wikispaces. This website allows a student or teacher to start building a website page for everyone to work on. Having worked on a wikispace recently I think that wikis are a great way for teachers to promote team work and research. It is a tool that I think can work with many grade levels and produce great work. It also allows student to use their creativity to make the page fun to look at and read. Wikis are defiantly something I will be using in the classroom with my future student.

The next concept, collaborative learning environment, ties in with wikis. Collaborative learning environments create an environment where “student work together on different parts of a problem and discover key concepts and information for themselves.” ( Maloy, et al, 2013, p.204) With a wiki teachers can look at what each student is doing and how they are participating in the group. I think a big part of this that is important is that teachers that create a collaborative learning environment are encouraging students to work in a team, think critically, and problem solve. These are all things that I think students need to learn and build on as they grow in their learning journey.

The link below will bring you to a story I created on this subject.

http://www.zooburst.com/book/zb01_54f3661dd08ad

In conclusion, it is important for teachers to use electronic communication inside and outside of the classroom. Using these technologies can allow teachers to communicate things like important deadlines to not only the students but also the parents. It can also allow teachers to create collaborative learning environments for students to build on their team work skills and problem solving skills among other things. Wiki pages can be created to start this learning journey.

Resources:

Kahl, C. (2015, March 1). Collaborative Learning at the Zoo. Retrieved March 1, 2015, from http://www.zooburst.com/book/zb01_54f3661dd08ad

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.

Wikispaces. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2015, from https://www.wikispaces.com/