Final Reflective Post

When I sat down to write this post I thought it would be a breeze however this was not the case. This post was one of the most difficult post of the semester for me to write, I think this is because I really did not have anything to say about the class and because the post was asked to be so elaborate which can be difficult when you are not a very creative person. This class to me was easy because I knew the content we were covering and hard because I am not a creative person or a person who enjoys elaborating their writing. By that what I mean is that I do not like plastering my written work with graphics or hyperlinks or videos, for me these items should be used when needed.

            My thoughts on the book are that the book is well written, organized and informative. Some topics that were included are topics that for someone who grew up with technology and knows how to work well with it are a little repetitive and boring. However, for a person who is not so familiar with technology this would be a helpful book. An example of what I mean can be found in the section on electronic note taking or the section of PowerPoint, for me who graduated less than 2 years ago and have worked on/with both of these subjects extensively those sections are repetitive.

            The discussions questions that we were given during the course were good questions that made you reflect on what was being asked. I think the only thing that I did not like about the discussion questions was that we were sometimes expected to interpret them in a certain way and when we did not points were taken. Other than that, I think the questions were great.

            The activities and assignments for the class for me personally sometimes were difficult because of the required graphics or the required videos or others. This was not because I could not accomplish the task but because I had an idea in mind for my work and sometimes it did not include a specific site or graphic. I also think what made it difficult was that sometimes I interpreted an assignment or activity one way and that is not how the professor wanted it.  Other than that, I think many of the assignments were fun assignments and great tools for future classes. 
         Even though some things were different from what I thought this course would be it was a great course to learn from. From this course I gained knowledge on many great websites that I will be able to use in future classes and in my future classroom. I was also provided with great information on different media tools that could be helpful down the road. Overall this class was a good one that I did end up enjoying. 

Digital Post #J

In Chapter 11 the focus is on "Engaging Students in Performance Assessments and Reflective Learning”, this chapter features excellent tactics to engage students along with facilitating students learning. Some of these methods include Digital Portfolios, Preassessments, and   .

Digital Portfolios

Digital Portfolios are an amazing tool for all students to use since it provides accessibility, portability, and allows creativity. Digital Portfolios allow for students to always be able to access their work, while increasing their technological skills. When I read this section I specifically thought of those students who grow up in foster homes, or those whose parents do not maintain a stable environment. These digital portfolios would allow these types of students a way of always being able to access their work, or present their work, or even share it if they would like.

Digital Portfolios like all things have disadvantages some of these disadvantages include knowledge and skill requirement, expensive equipment, time and energy, etc. To me these disadvantages are things that can be easily solved, for example, the knowledge and skill requirements can be worked on and developed over time. Just like the knowledge and skill disadvantage the expensive equipment disadvantage is relative because expensive equipment such as computers are available at schools, public libraries, or even internet cafes.

Preassessments

            Preassessments are used by teachers as a way of determining what students know or can already do in order to inform subsequent plans for teaching. Preassessments can be given in many forms such as pretest, writing prompts, graphic organizers, observations, and surveys. These preassessments are given in order to activate prior knowledge, students may not always remember immediately so they need to be reminded.

An effective way of carrying out these preassessments in order to activate prior knowledge is through online surveys. Online surveys are a poll that is delivered and charted online. These online surveys allow the teacher to have an idea of what skills and knowledge students have as well as what they need to learn. Online surveys are also an effective way of tracking student progress.

Participation Systems

            Participation systems are handheld wireless tools that offer interactive learning options for teachers and students. These systems use technologies such as wireless remote control devices to create real-time electronic exchanges between students and teachers. These systems allow for the teacher to involve the whole class in the lesson. An example of a participation system would be a clicker.

Teaching with a clicker allows for active learning since the students are participating rather than just listening to the teacher, while also increasing student engagement since everyone’s ideas matter. It also allows for real-time feedback, the clicker provides the teacher with immediate student feedback on content knowledge and test performance without correcting paper quizzes and entering grades.

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 #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.