Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Saturday, April 2, 2016
Digital Blog Post #E : Chapters 9 & 11
Chapter 9 - Using PowerPoint in Your Teaching
A lot of my professors at F.S.W. use PowerPoint to aid their lessons but I think that a lot of them are very dull. I think that if teachers are going to use visual aids, they should be interesting enough to actually aid the student. I know that in college not everything can be fun and have cartoons but it doesn't have to put the students to sleep either. Part of being a good teacher is to be on the same level with your students. If you have a diverse group of students then you may need to work a little harder to keep all of them interested in what you are teaching, but isn't that part of the fun of teaching? There is a section of our textbook that talks about some negative aspects of using PowerPoint, saying that it "usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning, and almost always corrupt statistical analysis" (Maloy) but I don't think that I agree with that entirely. Again this seems to be a matter of operator error instead of a problem with the program itself. I have constructed a short PowerPoint to demonstrate things that a teacher could use in a classroom which I don't feel weaken verbal and spatial reasoning at all. I have also added a statistic that I have researched and know to be accurate. I hope that this PowerPoint can demonstrate my point, that these tools are great for education when used correctly.
My PowerPoint on using a PowerPoint
Chapter 9 - Strategies for Using PowerPoint with your Students
After reading this section of the textbook I can agree that people could easily "get lost" while creating a fun and colorful PowerPoint and lose focus on what the whole point of creating it really is. I think that it might be a good idea, when creating a PowerPoint, to go through all the slides that you intend to make and add all the graphics that you want to use in the entire presentation first. This would help remove all the temptation of "getting lost" because you would be playing with visuals first and then working on the academic aspect of your presentation afterwards. I would probably do mine backwards to that : the academic questions first and then go back and add all the bells and whistles. I really feel that using visual aids helps students, even if you are not a visual learner. Adding pictures that correspond to the information you are trying to get across to your student would help with association and even with recall if you set your lesson plan up thoughtfully. I would like to use PowerPoint in my classroom after I graduate college and I hope that I will design them to be silly enough to be memorable but relatable enough to keep my students engaged.
My Flipquiz
Chapter 11 - Digital Portfolios as a Learning Technology
I love the idea of having students create and keep a digital portfolio. This idea makes accessing previous assignments quick and simple. It also allows a teacher to show parents exactly what a student is doing with their time and the teacher won't have to dig up paperwork from weeks or months in the past. I think that students would benefit from having digital portfolios for a number of reasons. The most important reason in my opinion is that at the end of a semester, students can look back on the work they did when they first started the school year and they will be able to see how accomplished they have become. This would be great for self-esteem and that's a very important thing. I think that it would also help a teacher to assess whether a student is really learning something or just coasting by because they could also look back throughout the school year and identify if there was progress being made or if the student's work stayed the same. There are a few digital portfolios that I already knew about before reading this section of the book but I didn't call them "digital portfolios" because I did not know that term. One that comes to mind right away is an art portfolio called "Artsonia" where students from all around the world can upload projects they have created in school and then parents can see them before they come home. Parents also have the option of buying their child's creation on a teeshirt or coffee mug and more. I think that I will absolutely use a kind of digital portfolio in my classroom.
Resources
Flipquiz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://flipquiz.me/login
Jan4insight. (n.d.). Pie Chart. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/
M. (2013). What is an Elephant ? - A YouTube Visual Dictionary Learning Space Hosted by Chris Wells. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHv5jUNpHzk
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Microsoft PowerPoint Online - Work together on PowerPoint presentations. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://office.live.com/start/PowerPoint.aspx
A lot of my professors at F.S.W. use PowerPoint to aid their lessons but I think that a lot of them are very dull. I think that if teachers are going to use visual aids, they should be interesting enough to actually aid the student. I know that in college not everything can be fun and have cartoons but it doesn't have to put the students to sleep either. Part of being a good teacher is to be on the same level with your students. If you have a diverse group of students then you may need to work a little harder to keep all of them interested in what you are teaching, but isn't that part of the fun of teaching? There is a section of our textbook that talks about some negative aspects of using PowerPoint, saying that it "usually weaken verbal and spatial reasoning, and almost always corrupt statistical analysis" (Maloy) but I don't think that I agree with that entirely. Again this seems to be a matter of operator error instead of a problem with the program itself. I have constructed a short PowerPoint to demonstrate things that a teacher could use in a classroom which I don't feel weaken verbal and spatial reasoning at all. I have also added a statistic that I have researched and know to be accurate. I hope that this PowerPoint can demonstrate my point, that these tools are great for education when used correctly.
My PowerPoint on using a PowerPoint
Chapter 9 - Strategies for Using PowerPoint with your Students
After reading this section of the textbook I can agree that people could easily "get lost" while creating a fun and colorful PowerPoint and lose focus on what the whole point of creating it really is. I think that it might be a good idea, when creating a PowerPoint, to go through all the slides that you intend to make and add all the graphics that you want to use in the entire presentation first. This would help remove all the temptation of "getting lost" because you would be playing with visuals first and then working on the academic aspect of your presentation afterwards. I would probably do mine backwards to that : the academic questions first and then go back and add all the bells and whistles. I really feel that using visual aids helps students, even if you are not a visual learner. Adding pictures that correspond to the information you are trying to get across to your student would help with association and even with recall if you set your lesson plan up thoughtfully. I would like to use PowerPoint in my classroom after I graduate college and I hope that I will design them to be silly enough to be memorable but relatable enough to keep my students engaged.
My Flipquiz
Chapter 11 - Digital Portfolios as a Learning Technology
I love the idea of having students create and keep a digital portfolio. This idea makes accessing previous assignments quick and simple. It also allows a teacher to show parents exactly what a student is doing with their time and the teacher won't have to dig up paperwork from weeks or months in the past. I think that students would benefit from having digital portfolios for a number of reasons. The most important reason in my opinion is that at the end of a semester, students can look back on the work they did when they first started the school year and they will be able to see how accomplished they have become. This would be great for self-esteem and that's a very important thing. I think that it would also help a teacher to assess whether a student is really learning something or just coasting by because they could also look back throughout the school year and identify if there was progress being made or if the student's work stayed the same. There are a few digital portfolios that I already knew about before reading this section of the book but I didn't call them "digital portfolios" because I did not know that term. One that comes to mind right away is an art portfolio called "Artsonia" where students from all around the world can upload projects they have created in school and then parents can see them before they come home. Parents also have the option of buying their child's creation on a teeshirt or coffee mug and more. I think that I will absolutely use a kind of digital portfolio in my classroom.
Resources
Flipquiz. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from http://flipquiz.me/login
Jan4insight. (n.d.). Pie Chart. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://www.flickr.com/
M. (2013). What is an Elephant ? - A YouTube Visual Dictionary Learning Space Hosted by Chris Wells. Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHv5jUNpHzk
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Microsoft PowerPoint Online - Work together on PowerPoint presentations. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2016, from https://office.live.com/start/PowerPoint.aspx
Sunday, March 6, 2016
Digital Blog #D Chapters 8 + 10
Page 208 and 209: Communication Technologies and Computer-Mediated Communication
Chapter eight of the textbook gives the following options for technology that teachers may choose to use: Email, websites, weblogs, online discussions, or Wikis (Maloy). After looking at Table 8.1 on page 209 of the textbook, I can see several uses for technology as a means of communicating with parents that I had not thought of before. Some of the examples given are pretty common sense such as using an email to send messages to parents or to have a website set up so that parents can see information about you or things that their children are working on, but other examples are a little more modern. I particularly like the idea of having a weekly updated blog (like the one used in this class) so that parents can see what specific things their child will be working on, examples of projects that the students can reference for their own work, uploaded videos narrated by me that give directions or answer questions, and more. I think that because a blog can be updated at any time, it would be convenient for a teacher to use. I would be able to let parents know that they could expect my blog to be updated by a certain day of the week, say Saturday evening, so that the family would have current knowledge of what my class will be working on the upcoming week. I do not think that technological communication should replace face to face meetings, especially when there is a serious matter to discuss, but that these kinds of communication would definitely enhance the parent/teacher relationship due to convenience and consistency. The chapter also mentions that cell phones are a good way to enhance communication and because so many people are using cell phones it might be a win or lose idea to decide to go that route. As long as only generic information is given over a phone message like "I am requesting a conference with you about your student" then it would be alright to use the phone. I would never feel comfortable giving out detailed information or grades by cell phone.
A Gliffy Flow Chart to Demonstrate Can Be Found Here
created with Gliffy software by Tina Emmett
Page 277: Differentiated Instruction
Chapter 10 of the textbook talks about Differentiated instruction, or DI. Because of the various kinds of learning styles and multiple intelligences that I will encounter as a teacher I think that this is an important section of the book to blog about. The text basically says that incorporating all the different kinds of learning styles into that same lesson plan is the best way to keep students engaged and actively learning. I really couldn't agree more. For me, writing is a chore. I will do anything to avoid writing an essay. I know that some other students must feel the same way. Like me, there are students who would much rather work up an elaborate artistic project than write an essay. This approach allows for this kind of student to be accommodated but still get the same education as their more literary classmates. The book sort of suggests breaking students up into groups of like-minded or like-skilled people, but I think that I would do the opposite. I would rather put one or two of each kind of learning type into a group so that they would all be able to contribute their special gifts to a project but also so that they can learn to work together. In the real world they would have to work with people who do not think the same way that they do so it is important that they learn to communicate with different learning styles. The text mentions that "finding the time, resources, and tools necessary to differentiate instruction in ways that will engage the multiple learning styles and preferences of students" can be the difficult part (Maloy). I can see how that would be true. Teachers already have a lot of work that is done outside of the classroom so it would probably be very difficult to use a well done differentiated instruction for every lesson, but I think that it could absolutely be done for group projects and larger lessons that require a multifaceted approach.
Page 294: Transforming Writing with Technology
As I stated above, I am not a fan of writing. I am in college now and I still try to avoid writing assignments. I was drawn to the section of the book that talks about how teachers can help students enjoy writing more. The table on page 295 (Table 10.4) goes through the different stages of the writing process and then lists how technology can help the student with each stage. I was particularly interested in the "text to speech" option that I saw on that table because I think that a lot of the problems I have always had with writing is getting distracted by whether I made sense or not when I typed something out. Listening to myself say it might be helpful. If there is a playback option where the computer can read what I wrote back to me I can hear for myself if I have used transitions properly or if my writing is interesting or boring. Using editing software is something that I use all the time now that I am in college so I like that suggestion from the table as well. Under the publishing section of Table 10.4 is the suggestion to use a PowerPoint or Movie-making software. This is the most appealing to me because I am a more visual person. If I can do an essay on a poster board or a Prezi then I am much happier to do it. I know that it requires writing still but I like working on it more. I think that other students who dislike writing might benefit from doing their work on an artistic level too.
Resources
Emaze - next generation of online presentation software. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.emaze.com/
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Gliffy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.gliffy.com
Chapter eight of the textbook gives the following options for technology that teachers may choose to use: Email, websites, weblogs, online discussions, or Wikis (Maloy). After looking at Table 8.1 on page 209 of the textbook, I can see several uses for technology as a means of communicating with parents that I had not thought of before. Some of the examples given are pretty common sense such as using an email to send messages to parents or to have a website set up so that parents can see information about you or things that their children are working on, but other examples are a little more modern. I particularly like the idea of having a weekly updated blog (like the one used in this class) so that parents can see what specific things their child will be working on, examples of projects that the students can reference for their own work, uploaded videos narrated by me that give directions or answer questions, and more. I think that because a blog can be updated at any time, it would be convenient for a teacher to use. I would be able to let parents know that they could expect my blog to be updated by a certain day of the week, say Saturday evening, so that the family would have current knowledge of what my class will be working on the upcoming week. I do not think that technological communication should replace face to face meetings, especially when there is a serious matter to discuss, but that these kinds of communication would definitely enhance the parent/teacher relationship due to convenience and consistency. The chapter also mentions that cell phones are a good way to enhance communication and because so many people are using cell phones it might be a win or lose idea to decide to go that route. As long as only generic information is given over a phone message like "I am requesting a conference with you about your student" then it would be alright to use the phone. I would never feel comfortable giving out detailed information or grades by cell phone.
A Gliffy Flow Chart to Demonstrate Can Be Found Here
created with Gliffy software by Tina Emmett
Page 277: Differentiated Instruction
Chapter 10 of the textbook talks about Differentiated instruction, or DI. Because of the various kinds of learning styles and multiple intelligences that I will encounter as a teacher I think that this is an important section of the book to blog about. The text basically says that incorporating all the different kinds of learning styles into that same lesson plan is the best way to keep students engaged and actively learning. I really couldn't agree more. For me, writing is a chore. I will do anything to avoid writing an essay. I know that some other students must feel the same way. Like me, there are students who would much rather work up an elaborate artistic project than write an essay. This approach allows for this kind of student to be accommodated but still get the same education as their more literary classmates. The book sort of suggests breaking students up into groups of like-minded or like-skilled people, but I think that I would do the opposite. I would rather put one or two of each kind of learning type into a group so that they would all be able to contribute their special gifts to a project but also so that they can learn to work together. In the real world they would have to work with people who do not think the same way that they do so it is important that they learn to communicate with different learning styles. The text mentions that "finding the time, resources, and tools necessary to differentiate instruction in ways that will engage the multiple learning styles and preferences of students" can be the difficult part (Maloy). I can see how that would be true. Teachers already have a lot of work that is done outside of the classroom so it would probably be very difficult to use a well done differentiated instruction for every lesson, but I think that it could absolutely be done for group projects and larger lessons that require a multifaceted approach.
Page 294: Transforming Writing with Technology
As I stated above, I am not a fan of writing. I am in college now and I still try to avoid writing assignments. I was drawn to the section of the book that talks about how teachers can help students enjoy writing more. The table on page 295 (Table 10.4) goes through the different stages of the writing process and then lists how technology can help the student with each stage. I was particularly interested in the "text to speech" option that I saw on that table because I think that a lot of the problems I have always had with writing is getting distracted by whether I made sense or not when I typed something out. Listening to myself say it might be helpful. If there is a playback option where the computer can read what I wrote back to me I can hear for myself if I have used transitions properly or if my writing is interesting or boring. Using editing software is something that I use all the time now that I am in college so I like that suggestion from the table as well. Under the publishing section of Table 10.4 is the suggestion to use a PowerPoint or Movie-making software. This is the most appealing to me because I am a more visual person. If I can do an essay on a poster board or a Prezi then I am much happier to do it. I know that it requires writing still but I like working on it more. I think that other students who dislike writing might benefit from doing their work on an artistic level too.
Resources
Emaze - next generation of online presentation software. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.emaze.com/
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Gliffy. (n.d.). Retrieved March 06, 2016, from http://www.gliffy.com
Sunday, February 21, 2016
Digital Blog Post #C Chapters 5 + 7
Chapter 5, page 127
Evaluating Online Information
After reading this section of the textbook I started to think about the college classes I have taken in the past and how several of my professors told me, "Make sure to use a credible site...". When I was younger I always just thought that the internet sites I looked at were informative and correct. It was not until early in college that I really understood how much garbage was on the internet, not to mention I realized that I did not use search engines properly. No one had ever taught me how to use "keywords" or how the results would differ if I put a search in a search bar with or without quotation marks around it.
The textbook states, "Google revolutionized how people conduct online searching and in so doing became the dominant search engine in the world." (Maloy). I frequently use the "image" setting on my Google search engine because I have the ability to see the website as well as an image from a website. I use both things to determine if I want to investigate the site farther or not. I have also used the Google search engine on my phone, which I imagine many students do every day. As I move towards finishing my degree in education I think that I will have to learn a lot more about how search engines work on phones and tablets. These devices are how a lot of students connect online today so I do not want to be left in the dark ages.
Chapter 5, page 128
Censorship
"Censorship means that material deemed offensive is banned from a school. But banning material is a notoriously slippery slope." (Maloy). At our college we have an occasional event called "Banned Book Week" or the "Banned Book Club" which is hosted by the humanities department. At the club, a book that was considered "trash" or "offensive" for its time period is read by several students and faculty and then discussed and reflected on. I have learned a great deal about history, America, government, social classes, etiquette, capitalism, religion, and other subjects of interest from attending these Banned Book Events. Although material should be age appropriate for students, I believe that there has been some unnecessary censorship in our school system in the past. I hope that the administration at the school I will eventually work for will be more open minded and want to keep history in context and to remain faithfully honest with students. There was, for example, a little problem at my friend's son's high school recently where the students began reading The Diary of Anne Frank, but when a parent complained about some content in the book, the students were given a censored version of the book. This has happened in several other schools across the U.S. as well. In the following video from youtube, the user The Young Turks posted, included a complaint that a parent had over this particular book when their seventh grade student was assigned to read it for a class. Maybe seventh grade is a bit young for this book, but I think that high school students can handle this material. It is an interesting thing to think about when we discuss censorship.
I feel that this particular story must be read unedited and unaltered because it is a historical piece. If the material in the book is too adult for the high school students then a different book should have been chosen altogether. Censorship can be a good thing, but it can also be used incorrectly in order to promote ignorance.
I do want to say that I feel censorship when it comes to how students use the internet is often times necessary. There are a lot of real world dangers on the internet that are not in the pages of a book, so certain sites or links should not be accessible to students especially in a classroom setting.
Chapter 7, page 179
Criteria for Evaluating Educational Software
I really appreciate this section of the textbook. As Maloy states, "One way to identify good educational software is to recognize what constitutes poor software" (Maloy) and then gives Papert's three qualifications for poor software. I feel as if a lot of parents feel that using computers to educate children is a silly idea, but provided that the programs are being used correctly and provided that the programs are good to begin with, computers can be a very helpful thing to students.
The textbook goes on to say that there are evaluation instruments that teachers can use to grade software. I am happy that those exist because when I begin teaching I will need all the help from experienced teachers that I can get.
A quote I really enjoyed from this section is, "teachers need to first answer the following question: ' Will the child program the computer or will the computer program the child?' "(Maloy).
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| Photo created by Tina Emmett on Tagxedo.com |
Resources:
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon
Tagxedo.com
Youtube.com user The Young Turks
Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon
Tagxedo.com
Youtube.com user The Young Turks
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Digital Blog Post #B Chapter 2 + 3
"Visual Learning and Visual Literacy" page 40
I am a very visual person. The idea of using "photographs, diagrams, charts, graphs, drawings, musical notations, and pictures" (Maloy) in a classroom has been common for a long long time but now teachers can use modern technology to bring lessons to life. All these visual aids can be used on a Smartboard and interacted with by students. Reenactments and documentaries can be watched in a classroom. Even homework is better with technology because students can create maps, movies, online games, and online quizzes.
"Learning Assessments" page 63
On page 63 I came to the section that said assessments are "short answer tests, essays and other written tasks, oral discussions, teacher observations, class participation, and student projects, portfolios, and performances, all of which provide evidence of what students have learned..." (Maloy). I thought about how pencil and paper tests are so boring and now students have the ability to study, do projects, do homework, and now even do their tests on a computer. This must make it so much easier for teachers to check tests over and make losing individual papers an obsolete problem. I am really looking forward to having the ability to keep my student's grades and progress on a well developed program. I think it will be really interesting to be able to design quizzes and tests online for my students also.
Photo Credit is "Exam" by Alberto G. on Flickr
"Assessing and Evaluating Students" page 67
I wanted to continue on with my thoughts from the "Learning Assessment" part of the text book with what I read on page 67. I thought it was really interesting to see what teachers think about assessments. Typically we just think about how students view assessments. I know that I definitely do not want to test my students the way I was tested in school. I can understand why some teachers would use methods that they are comfortable with because they are what was used when they were in school, but I think that it is important to keep up with the times and identify with what your students will be most comfortable with.
I also looked at some of the statistics given n standardized testing. I am not a fan of standardized testing because not all students are "standard". Some students will do well on pen and paper tests and some will do better on computers. Because so many students show their knowledge in a lot of different ways, we should rethink how we give standardized tests to allow those students to show what they know in the best ways possible.
As for teacher tests, I am a fan of teacher testing. I think that it is very important for teachers to be up to a certain level of education and be able to demonstrate that. I also think that teachers should have to do more than the occasional performance assessment because our drop out and failure rate is still much higher than I am comfortable with.
RESOURCES:
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Digital Blog Post #A : Chapter 1
"Responding to Innovation and Change" page 8
I do not consider myself a "frontier developer" or even "eager" (to use some of the phrases from our textbook) when it comes to change. I like things the way I like them and that means the way I am used to doing them. After a little bit of reading in the chapter and after looking through a few Youtube videos to find one I wanted to use in my blog, I did see a lot of wonderful things coming out of the technological changes though. I liked seeing kids smile and participate in classrooms. There was not a lot of participation in my high school classrooms and I think that had a lot to do with students feeling as if they were being lectured at and not a part of their own education. The devices that I see the students using in the video below tells me that, at least with that kind of technology, students are happy about the changes happening.
Going back to the book for a minute, I do not consider myself a "mobile centric". I actually hate cellphones. I hate taking calls and making calls, but more than anything else I hate texting. I think that if someone has something to say that they can say it in person. Texting interrupts my daily life! Every time I look at one of my kids or at my partner, there is a phone in their hands and they are texting. I'm not sure if I like the idea of using cellphones in the classroom the way some teachers are doing because I think that we already use technology in an irresponsible and obsessive way. If all cellphone use was geared toward education I would feel better with it. If people had to answer a math or history question in order to power a phone call or a text message then we'd have a better civilization. Still, I cannot deny the positive things I see in the video below :
Video hosted on Youtube.com by kxan, "Teaching With Technology", October 6, 2010
"Obstacles Facing Teachers" page 12
I feel as if after reading this section of the textbook there are some obstacles in schools pertaining to money and how much technology the students have access to. I imaging it would be very frustrating to be a recent college graduate and want to share a ton of wonderful things I've learned with my students only to hit a barrier because all the technology in the school is old and outdated. I think back to when I was in school and we had a typing class. I was really excited that I would learn to type on a computer and not on the clunky typewriter that my mother and grandmother used when they were younger. I never had to do homework on a computer until I got to college though. I think that it's pretty commonplace for kids now to use computers in middle school and above. It would be very frustrating for a kid who couldn't afford a computer to go to a school that also did not have a variety of computers for him to use just because the school did not have enough funding.
The section on page 13 that talks about how some schools are underfunded makes me worried for whatever school I end up teaching in. I remember when my high school teachers had to go to the A.V. room and borrow a t.v. and a VCR to show a movie. I guess there are still schools in that situation today and that's a shame.
 |
| en.wikipedia.org via creative commons |
"Critics of Technology in Schools" page 17
I know that I began this blog by saying that I do not like change and while that is true I still think that technology has its place in schools. In our book Jane Healy says that computer games "empty their minds (students) of the attributes that make people imaginative, creative and thoughtful" (Maloy). I really disagree with her thinking here. I believe that kids do some very imaginative things on computers and she has not done enough research into the matter to make such a negative and broad judgement. Also, I think that having the ability to make a student feel as if they are playing a game while they are studying a subject that they don't necessarily like is a big bonus for teachers to have. I want to have computers in my classroom and also hope to have a Smartboard and some other things that the kids can be interactive with. I don't want to be in a classroom where we can never watch clips of movies or documentaries. I think that using technology just enhances learning. I know that I would have slept a lot less in high school if I had more interactive things to do instead of listening to the same people drone on and on about things I thought (at the time) I would never use again.
Resources:
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