Week 12 PLE Post

I learned many things about using technology in the classroom from the videos. One thing is that adding technology also adds another skill that the students practice and/or learn. If a student already knows how to operate a computer for example, then they can practice, but not all students already know how so it is a great opportunity for them to learn. Technology gets them involved in ways that they wouldn't be otherwise. They are actively learning and experiencing things. There are so many different technologies available that are easy enough for young students to learn how to use so they can have a more active role in their own learning. A lot of help and guidance might still be needed from the teacher, but I think it is well worth it to use the technology. The best thing to do is to plan easy and simple activities when using technologies because it is not worth it if all the time is spent learning how to use the technology instead of learning the content.

Internet Safety Reflection

The article I chose to read was titled "Technology and a House of Learning". The video resources we watched were by a company called i-Safe. It dealt with all the dangers of the internet and how to avoid them. It gave specific examples of what can happen when someone make unsafe choices when using the internet. It also gave startling statistics about internet use among children and teens. There were many important things that I learned from the video and the readings. One of them was that it is important for parents to be involved as much as they can in their children's use of technology. Parents should also stay informed and inform their children of present dangers and new dangers that may arise. Another important thing I learned was that all children who have access to the internet are at risk from the dangers of the internet. This means that all parents have to be cautious with their children's internet use. I shared with someone the things I learned about internet safety and they knew a little about the topic, but not all the specifics I told them. I wasn't surprised by their reaction because she knew that communication on the internet happens and that a lot of people are more comfortable with talking to people in the internet instead of in person. She understood how that can happen but thought that only communicating on the internet can be more of a hindrance because on order to get anywhere in the world you have to know how to communicate with people.

Week 11 PLE Post

What I have learned about TPACK is that there are three parts: pedagogical knowledge, content knowledge, and technological knowledge. Pedagogical knowledge is the knowledge of how to teach a concept. For example, having the knowledge to make accommodations for students with disabilities. Content knowledge is knowing the facts and information that you are going to teach. An example would be a high school English teacher knowing the different parts of speech so they can teach their students. Technological knowledge is knowing the different kinds of technology to use and how to use them. For example, a teacher knowing how to use Powerpoint to make a presentation and also the laptop and projector to show it to the students. One example of teaching from my past would be from a health class I took in high school. We had to pick a subject, make a presentation about it and teach the class about it. I chose lung cancer so I made a Powerpoint presentation about it and then showed it to the class. I had the technological knowledge about how to use Powerpoint and present it to the class. I had the content knowledge to make the presentation because I did research. I also had the pedagogical knowledge because my peers were my age and I knew them well enough to know how to present the content to them. Some of the technologies that we have explored in this class are Google Earth, Stellarium, Mind Meister and blogs. All of these use visual representation. Some of them like Google Earth and Stellarium also use dynamic representation because they can explore and manipulate things. All of these technologies would be useful because a lot of students are visual learners and these technologies are fun and easy for the students to learn how to use.

TPACK Project - Planning

Here is a link to the lesson plans
Lesson Plans

Week 10 PLE Post

The first online technology I looked at was Prezi. Prezi helps you present content in an engaging way that is much more interesting than a Powerpoint. Basically, you create a giant poster and you zoom in and out on the content on the poster. It can be found at http://prezi.com/. The second technology I looked at is called Gliffy. Gliffy is an online diagram software. It helps you to create pretty much any kind of graph, floor plan, or chart you want. It can be found at http://www.gliffy.com/. The last technology I looked at is called Mindmeister. It is an online mind mapping tool. It helps you brainstorm and get your ideas down and organized. It van be found at http://www.mindmeister.com/.

Science Project Challenge

Here is a link to the technology lesson planning chart:
Chart

Week 9 PLE Post

Some ways I can tell if I have successfully integrated technology into my lesson is if more time is spent doing the activity involving the technology than figuring out how to use the technology. Also if it takes a lot of time to set up the technology, then it is probably not worth the teacher's time. To add to a lesson, a technology should not distract from the subject matter being taught. It should facilitate learning and not hinder it. The indicators that can tell if a teacher has chosen the right technology is if it is not too hard for the teacher or the children to figure out, if the students seem to enjoy and like it, and if it functions properly.

Virtual Tour

Here is a link to the virtual tour
Virtual tour

Here is a link to the activity sheets:
Activity sheets

Week 8 PLE Post

Some of the problems with learning TPACK skills are that they are something totally new to all teachers and so it would take them a while to get used to them. Also, it takes more effort on the teacher's part to integrate different technologies into their lesson plans. The main idea of the article is that technology is a good pedagogy and can enhance student's learning. Technology needs to be a regular part of a teacher's lesson plans. Some of the ideas in the article that led to my main idea were that there should be a comprehensive list of technologies that corresponding to the curriculum for the teacher's use and just the importance the whole article placed on using technology in the right context. This article might be important to me as a teacher because it cites important studies and research that has been done that will help me become a better teacher.

Week 7 PLE

The role of technology in creating dynamic experiences for students is that it can show them things they wouldn't be able to see or experience otherwise. Also it can make more dry subjects seem more exciting and interesting. Technology might detract from student learning by them concentrating less on the content and more on the special effects or the technology. If a student uses a technology to learn something, they might only remember how to use the technology rather than what they learned from the activity. Three examples of effective technology that I have used or experienced would be computers, a Promethean board, and videos.

Week 6 PLE Post Continued

I viewed three different virtual tours and found them all to be very well done. The first one I watched was the one about volcanoes. I thought that it asked good questions and used a good variety of photos and videos. The second one I viewed was about WWII. I thought it focused on the important events and locations of that time and also asked good questions. The last one was about different ruins around the world. The activities and questions done at the different sites were thought-provoking and interactive. The good things about implementing a virtual tour in the classroom would be that the students would be able to see things that they wouldn't be able to otherwise. Also, it is very visually stimulating so it would keep the students interested. The bad things about a virtual tour is that it takes time and careful planning to put it together. Also the teacher would have to learn how to use the program and that also takes time.

Week 6 PLE Post

When a virtual tour is used in the classroom, there are other things that can be used simultaneously to help the students learn more. The teacher could play music that is appropriate for the location or time period being studied. Another thing that could be done is the students could draw something that is related to the content being studied. The students could also bring in things from home to share with their classmates. The students could read or listen to stories about the subject matter. One last thing they could do is make things out of clay of what they learned.

Digital Storytelling Project

Here is a link to the storyboard:
Storyboard

Digital Storytelling Technology

A pro is an argument that supports something and a con is an argument that is against that something. Some pros about the technology we used to make the story was that it was very visually-based so it was easy to see exactly what was being done to our video when we were editing it. Another pro was it that it was easy to upload and use our own photos and music. A con about it was that we were not familiar with it and it took a little while to figure it out and get the hang of it.

Week 5 PLE Post

Some of the basic things you can do with Google Earth are to see different landmarks and places you wouldn't normally be able to see. You can visit these places without leaving the house. There are other resources available at the different sites that allow you to learn more about that place. I con use Google Earth in my classroom to help my students learn the curriculum better. If they see it and experience it through Google Earth, it will make the subject matter much more interesting than just hearing about or even seeing pictures about it. The other resources and videos available at the sited will also help them learn better.

Participation Assignment

I mostly have talked to my roommates and my older sister about what I have learned in this class. I have also talked a little to my mother about it. I have learned that a lot of people don't even about there being a class about technology and teaching when I tell them about, but they say it makes sense when they think about it. I have shared the technologies and resources we have learned about and used with them and some of them have used them themselves. When you tell somebody something you have learned, they will probably share that with someone else and then it will just keep going until maybe even hundreds of people have heard about it. I think that is so amazing. We should share what we learn more often. Everyone would know a lot more.

Week 4 PLE Post

The storyboards that I looked at and commented on were Katelyn Sneed, Cherie Abiang, Aubrey Barker, Lindley Burton, and Morgan Thorup's. I thought they were all very creative and would keep the students entertained.

Problems that a teacher could run into while trying to do this in the classroom would be the availability of the right technology to do it. Also it might be hard to get the kids organized and interested in the project. It might be best if the class was split into larger groups instead of smaller ones. It would depend on the age of the students. Obviously, the older grades would have a better time with it.

Storyboard

Here is a link to my storyboard on my wiki

Storyboard Attachment

Wiki Modifications

One of the modifications I made to my wiki portfolio was a calendar. This will add to my portfolio because I can add important dates, events and deadlines onto the calendar. Also, the people who look at my portfolio can see these dates also if they need to. It will help me stay organized and keep track of important things. Not only could I add personal dates to the calendar, but important holidays are on the calendar also.

Week 3 PLE Post

What I understand about copyright is that teachers can use things without permission, but there are limitations. Things can't be used as entertainment or for a reward. Also if it is a company's business selling materials to classrooms, those things need to be bought. Everything used needs to be cited. It is important for teachers to understand the laws of copyright in the classroom so they won't use anything illegally and get in trouble with the company or author.

Week 2 PLE Post

The things that I might use tokbox for as a teacher would be to get feedback from my students about a particular assignment or about something new we tried in class. This way I could get feedback from my students without using class time. Another thing I could use it for is as an activity the kids could do at home as an assignment. Instead of having the students just write something and hand it in, I could have them record themselves saying it and turn it in that way. The most interesting thing I learned in class on Tuesday was that knowledge has four parts (purpose, central message, validations and values) and that experience also has four parts (capture, expand, teach and evaluate).

Week 1 PLE Post

I am not known for my expertise on technology, but do have experience with it. I took a computers class in high school and know how to do basic things with them. I have worked with cell phones and digital cameras and other basic electronic devices. When something is wrong with technology, I usually do not usually know how to fix it. I usually do trial by error until I figure it out or until someone who knows can help me. I would say that I have an average understanding of the basic functions of technology.