Digital Blog Post #H

   

      Digital Blog Post #H: Expressing Creativity with Multimedia Technologies 

        There are many multimedia technologies available nowadays for teachers to use some of them include presentation programs, educational games, and different kinds of software. As a future educator, some of my favorite are presentation programs such as PowerPoint, Prezi, Google docs, etc. Essentially what these programs do is revolutionize the traditional overhead projector, transparency to transparency presentation. Programs such as PowerPoint allow for the teacher to add pictures, videos, hyperlinks, and other creative ways of introducing a concept to the student. They also give the teacher the option to change the font, the font color, or the layout of the PowerPoint giving it a more interesting look.  When you apply these changes to the presentation it keeps students interested and engaged in the lecture. For example, while giving a classroom lecture on a subject that most children are not really interested in I would try to make the presentation more fun by including different types of font and font sizes, embedding videos, and including fun and interesting slide transitions.
   
     Another contemporary form of teaching that I would use and many teachers nowadays are would be through videos. One of the most known websites for its extensive variety of videos is YouTube. YouTube is described as a video hosting and sharing website where people upload videos they have made and watch those made by others, on YouTube anyone can make an account since it is free and use it as they please. Videos on this website can range from music videos to cooking to educational and instructional videos. This website is an amazing tool for teachers since it allows them to show how a concept is played out through cartoons or real life, or it also can help teach the concept in a different way from the teachers. Using this in the classroom allows for more than one type of student to learn what is being taught. For example, if I as a high school history teacher wanting to reinforce a lesson I might look up some interesting videos on what I was teaching or look up a cartoon video of how the issue on hand worked out. Although cartoon videos sound silly they are actually just as educational if not more than if I were to stand in front of my students and teach exactly what was said in it, this references to my previous statement of reaching all the different types of learners in a classroom.
   
      My next concept is a new one to me since it was not used when I was in school however I find to be an amazing tool for grade school children. Alphabet books are made and illustrated by children, they allow for students to practice spelling, pronouncing, and reading. An alphabet book can be made by hand on paper or digitally on the computer. When creating alphabet books the child can pick whatever illustration they associate with the letter, write out the name and use it in a sentence. As a future first grade teacher, I personally would love to include alphabet books in my classroom, not only creating them by hand but on the computer too. For example, each student can pick a letter, then that student can draw on the program Paint what they associate with this letter along with the letter itself, finally, the child can present their letter to their classmates.

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

In chapter 10 many concepts and methods were discussed. These methods discussed are useful for teachers that are teaching multicultural education in the 21st century. Multicultural education is used to describe how teachers go about affirming the expansive diversity of student’s interest, needs, and talents present in every school’s classrooms.

Some ways teachers can communicate lessons to students is by creating a culturally relevant curriculum and instruction. For a teacher to create this they must connect school assignments with the issues and concerns they are experiencing in their own lives. For example, on election years a history teacher can teach lessons on voting and how each of us acquired this right.

Another way a teacher can communicate lessons to students is by connecting the classroom with the student’s community and/or cultures. Sometimes schools decide it is best to shut the world around them out, usually deeming it too controversial for the students. However, this controversial world we live in has many valuable educational lessons to teach our students and be shutting it out our students are missing out. For example, students can celebrate the achievements and struggles of racially diverse people or culturally diverse without even having to leave their seats. A student can achieve this by accessing a newspaper, translating materials, or even taking a virtual field trip.

Another way technology can help teach the diverse children of the 21st century is through multilingual web resources. These web pages allow students from all over the world to obtain the same material. One example of a multilingual web page is Wikipedia. Wikipedia is one of the many multilingual web sites that provides the same information in languages such as English, Spanish, French, German, and many others. This technology is just one of the many available to anyone in order to better themselves as students, teachers, or even just citizens.

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 #E

As a future educator finding and learning new ways of teaching with technology is extremely important. One concept of teaching with this new technology would be through simulation games. Simulation games are described as “a game that dynamically represents one or more real-world process or systems”. These simulation games could be a great tool for teaching in or outside the classroom. Kids love games so why not use them for activities such as learning about the human body, the environment, or how math is used in real world situations. When I was in middle school I remember there was this “McDonalds Game” that made you the user the CEO of the McDonalds company. As the CEO you had to pick how, when and where to spend your money in order for your company to be successful. If you invested your money well your company went on for years and years eventually winning the game, however, if you invested your money unwisely you would go bankrupt and lose the game. Games like this could be used in classes like High school economics or financial planning.

Another concept that I found interesting was Virtual worlds. Virtual worlds are described as online based environments in which users adopt online identities or avatars and interact with other game players using those identities. As a kid, I remember there were lots of these virtual worlds, one of the very first kid-friendly virtual worlds that I can remember was Club Penguin. In this virtual world, you were a Penguin and you would have to go on scavenger hunts in order to acquire cool clothing items or things for your penguin’s igloo. One would also have to play games within the virtual world these games were memory game, or math games, or just regular games like mancala and when you won you would get money to buy different items or you would get items. These virtual games are entertaining for kids and educational without them even noticing.

The third concept that interested me was Kid Pix. Kid Pix is a multimedia online art studio, in this program, the user can draw, paint, and collage on the computer. Kid Pix can be used in the classroom for creative art activities or can be used for other activities such as math, science, and reading. A child can create a model of a cell and color code the different parts of it on this program or they can use it to create bar graphs or pie graphs for math class. This program can be used for just about any subject and since it is art based will keep most students engaged.

References:

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