Data Collection & Reporting Tools
I believe that data collection tools in the form of surveys would be extremely helpful as a teacher. One grade level and subject I am interested in teaching is high school English. In any high school English class, I think it would be a great idea for me as a teacher to create surveys to gage how well my students understood a lesson (including the sub parts of the lesson). This would allow me to see where my students are struggling and areas that I might need to cover again. Excel could be used to see how my student's are achieving through grade books and charts.
"The Flipped Classroom"
This particular instructional design essentailly switches what learning is traditionally done in the classroom and at home through homework. Core instruction is done at home in place of homework while assignments that allow the application of what was learned is done in the classroom. Personally, I really like this style of teaching because it is when students' are applying the knowledge that they often struggle or make mistakes and this model allows the teacher to be their to help the students at this time. I also think that watching videos or reading texts before the class can help students feel more prepared and they can come prepared with any questions they might have.
A Technology Skill I Want to Learn
The next technology-related skill I would like to learn is safety and security. This is somewhat of an umbrella term but includes defending myself against things like computer viruses and spam. Not only would learning this skill keep myself protected, but it would also keep things like my students' grades confidential. It would also be a valuable lesson to teach my students. I plan to learn this skill by watching videos and certified webpages.
Instructor's Blog
I thought it was really interesting that my classmate's mentioned how having a website would not only help future teachers but also speech-language pathologists in blog #7. It's cool to see how many people benefit from classroom websites. I also loved reading all of the different academic software tools that my classmates mentioned from blog #9. Some of these I hadn't even heard of before like Edmodo and I'm excited to look into them!
Comments
I commented on Brittany and Morgan's posts!
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Sunday, March 22, 2020
Blog #10
Technology and teacher professional development
As a future teacher, I recognize the importance of continuing to educate myself. A teacher should not simply receive a degree and stop their learning there. This would ultimately hinder their intelligence and therefore what they are able to teach their students. We live in a rather technologically based world and technology is every growing and changing. It is important that teachers regularly attend seminars and workshops where they can learn more as things adapt to teach their students properly and effectively.
New skills acquired from working on the two PowerPoint assignments
I have worked with PowerPoint software since I was a child, however our past two assignments made me explore this software in new ways. The first PowerPoint assignment required adding a voice over which was new to me. This felt a little awkward to record, but I loved this assignment and thought it was so fun and helpful for a future teacher since it was an actual lesson! The nonlinear PowerPoint assignment was definitely harder for me since I had never even heard of these before, but I loved the creativity and freedom it allowed potential students. I read through the directions and watched a few videos online to learn how to do it. It was a little difficult at first, but now that I understand it I would love to implement this into lessons. My first PowerPoint was a lesson on rhymes for kindergarten to first graders and my second PowerPoint was an interactive adventure through Spain for a Spanish class!
Topics I found most interesting from the instructor's blog
I really loved how throughout Ray's blog posts she encouraged us to look back at our own previous blog posts. I think that this is a wonderful way to reflect on the way that we used to view a course on educational technologies when we had barely learned anything at all compared to now at week 10 of our course. I think it is so important to reflect on how our minds, opinions, and thoughts have grown and developed as we learn more. It was also really cool to see all of the technological tools used in elementary school and Web 2.0 tools that our classmates mentioned.
Comments
I commented on Olivia's post in regard to the PowerPoint assignments (how we enjoyed each of them and what we learned). I also commented on Hayley's post, particularly about technology and teacher development because I really appreciated the insights she had!
As a future teacher, I recognize the importance of continuing to educate myself. A teacher should not simply receive a degree and stop their learning there. This would ultimately hinder their intelligence and therefore what they are able to teach their students. We live in a rather technologically based world and technology is every growing and changing. It is important that teachers regularly attend seminars and workshops where they can learn more as things adapt to teach their students properly and effectively.
I think Teach Hub is an awesome website for keeping up to date with changes in technology that teachers should be aware of, especially this article. I also love that they have a "Professional Development" tab on their website! They also have community and "Hot tips..." tab that can be super helpful for teachers. The link is https://www.teachhub.com/staying-current-technology-classroom
New skills acquired from working on the two PowerPoint assignments
I have worked with PowerPoint software since I was a child, however our past two assignments made me explore this software in new ways. The first PowerPoint assignment required adding a voice over which was new to me. This felt a little awkward to record, but I loved this assignment and thought it was so fun and helpful for a future teacher since it was an actual lesson! The nonlinear PowerPoint assignment was definitely harder for me since I had never even heard of these before, but I loved the creativity and freedom it allowed potential students. I read through the directions and watched a few videos online to learn how to do it. It was a little difficult at first, but now that I understand it I would love to implement this into lessons. My first PowerPoint was a lesson on rhymes for kindergarten to first graders and my second PowerPoint was an interactive adventure through Spain for a Spanish class!
Topics I found most interesting from the instructor's blog
I really loved how throughout Ray's blog posts she encouraged us to look back at our own previous blog posts. I think that this is a wonderful way to reflect on the way that we used to view a course on educational technologies when we had barely learned anything at all compared to now at week 10 of our course. I think it is so important to reflect on how our minds, opinions, and thoughts have grown and developed as we learn more. It was also really cool to see all of the technological tools used in elementary school and Web 2.0 tools that our classmates mentioned.
Comments
I commented on Olivia's post in regard to the PowerPoint assignments (how we enjoyed each of them and what we learned). I also commented on Hayley's post, particularly about technology and teacher development because I really appreciated the insights she had!
Monday, March 2, 2020
Blog #9
Assistive & Adaptive Technologies
It is vitally important that teachers know their learners and part of this is knowing the abilities or disabilities of your students. As a teacher, you must be contentious of limitations that specific students might have and you must be prepared and willing to implement solutions that will make learning just as accessible to these students as it is to a "normal" student. The podcast defines adaptive technologies as "technologies that help people with disabilities more effectively use computing equipment". There are many technological features that can be utilized to support students such as using voice input if a student is unable to type or using spell checkers for students with dyslexia. Neither myself or people I know have had a disability for which they need to use adaptive technologies. The exception is programs such as spell checkers which are easily accessible and useful for everyone. One potential challenge I see with using adaptive technologies is school funding.
Universal Design
All websites, powerpoints, and other teaching design elements should be created with accessibility in mind for people of all levels of abilities. Think about a building. When a public building is being designed, they must consider an entrance for those who are in wheelchairs. Of course, not all disabilities are visible and we must consider all disabilities when designing our lessons and teaching tools. We must allow for flexibility especially for those using adaptive technologies. For example, we can write captions for images for blind users. Another element of universal design is to be simple and intuitive by not making our designs more complex than they need to be. The next element is to avoid errors. You want to prevent rather than fix any errors by using warnings and designing certain information to stand out. You should also consider including redundant modalities of the information so that if one modality is unaccessible to a student, another one hopefully will be. You also want to avoid side effects. This can be done by reverting a text back to the original form when a user is done with it.
Academic Software for Students
One academic software I would like to implement in my classroom is certainly a classroom website. I think that a website created on a platform such as Wix or Weebly can easily be done and updated by teachers. I would like to include my syllabus, assignment calendar, and lessons (such as powerpoints from class) on my website along with other elements. I think that type of platform would make important information easily accessible to both students and their parents/guardians. Another academic software I would like to implement in my classroom is something like OneCalendar. I would like to use a software like this so that students are well aware of assignment due dates, field trips, etc. I believe that organization and planning is an important part of education (as well as a good life lesson) and by creating a calendar for my students, I would be able to keep them on track. I also like this feature because it is something that I could easily print out each month for my students in the case that they do not have access to the internet at home.
Blogging
Personally, I love blogging for classes. I am an English major with an education minor and have often either blogged or posted in discussion boards for assignments. I believe that it is a great way to reflect on the material that you are learning in class, explain your understanding and opinions, answer critical thinking questions, and share with classmates. I especially like blogging because your individual blog creates an easily accessible platform to access what you have written which allows you to review and reflect on your own thoughts as you continue in the course!
Comments
I commented on Liz and Morgan's posts!
It is vitally important that teachers know their learners and part of this is knowing the abilities or disabilities of your students. As a teacher, you must be contentious of limitations that specific students might have and you must be prepared and willing to implement solutions that will make learning just as accessible to these students as it is to a "normal" student. The podcast defines adaptive technologies as "technologies that help people with disabilities more effectively use computing equipment". There are many technological features that can be utilized to support students such as using voice input if a student is unable to type or using spell checkers for students with dyslexia. Neither myself or people I know have had a disability for which they need to use adaptive technologies. The exception is programs such as spell checkers which are easily accessible and useful for everyone. One potential challenge I see with using adaptive technologies is school funding.
Universal Design
All websites, powerpoints, and other teaching design elements should be created with accessibility in mind for people of all levels of abilities. Think about a building. When a public building is being designed, they must consider an entrance for those who are in wheelchairs. Of course, not all disabilities are visible and we must consider all disabilities when designing our lessons and teaching tools. We must allow for flexibility especially for those using adaptive technologies. For example, we can write captions for images for blind users. Another element of universal design is to be simple and intuitive by not making our designs more complex than they need to be. The next element is to avoid errors. You want to prevent rather than fix any errors by using warnings and designing certain information to stand out. You should also consider including redundant modalities of the information so that if one modality is unaccessible to a student, another one hopefully will be. You also want to avoid side effects. This can be done by reverting a text back to the original form when a user is done with it.
Academic Software for Students
One academic software I would like to implement in my classroom is certainly a classroom website. I think that a website created on a platform such as Wix or Weebly can easily be done and updated by teachers. I would like to include my syllabus, assignment calendar, and lessons (such as powerpoints from class) on my website along with other elements. I think that type of platform would make important information easily accessible to both students and their parents/guardians. Another academic software I would like to implement in my classroom is something like OneCalendar. I would like to use a software like this so that students are well aware of assignment due dates, field trips, etc. I believe that organization and planning is an important part of education (as well as a good life lesson) and by creating a calendar for my students, I would be able to keep them on track. I also like this feature because it is something that I could easily print out each month for my students in the case that they do not have access to the internet at home.
Blogging
Personally, I love blogging for classes. I am an English major with an education minor and have often either blogged or posted in discussion boards for assignments. I believe that it is a great way to reflect on the material that you are learning in class, explain your understanding and opinions, answer critical thinking questions, and share with classmates. I especially like blogging because your individual blog creates an easily accessible platform to access what you have written which allows you to review and reflect on your own thoughts as you continue in the course!
Comments
I commented on Liz and Morgan's posts!
Sunday, March 1, 2020
Blog #8
Dynamic Instructional Design Model
The lesson plan I chose to evaluate and critique is called "Hiding Homophones" and can be accessed through this link https://www.teacher.org/lesson-plan/hiding-homophones/ The lesson plan does know its learners and is designed for 4th graders. It specifically states that homophones chosen for the lesson should be "appropriate for the grade level and ability level of the students". The lesson plan also clearly articulates the objectives or goals for the lesson which are for students to "identify, pronounce, and illustrate common homophones to strengthen skills and understanding". In terms of establishing the learning environment, this lesson plan does not dictate that their should be changes to the classroom space, but it does make learning active through an illustrative activity and dictates that students should work with a partner. I do believe that the strategies of the lesson plan are effective for the learners as well as the objectives. Although the diversity of the learners could be better established (i.e. do any of the students have learning disabilities, etc.). The technology used is appropriate since this lesson plan simply uses a board (presumably a smart board), but a regular white board can be used if the classroom does not have access to such technology.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Powerpoint is a great tool to teach at every level of Bloom's Taxonomy. The first level is remembering and references remembering prior information. The powerpoint can have a review slide for all of the important prior knowledge that will be used during the lesson. The next level is understand which requires comprehension from the students. The power point can provide different images and examples to further explain information to better be understood. The next level is application for which the powerpoint can lead into an activity planned by the teacher which will allow students to apply their knowledge and understanding of the lesson subject. In regard to the level of analysis, tools on powerpoint such as smart art can be used to create flow charts, Venn diagrams, etc. These tools can also be used during the next level, evaluation. The powerpoint can also prompt the teacher to lead a discussion justifying the activities and how they have related to what they are learning. The last level is creation. The powerpoint can explain a project that students are expected to complete or the students can even be asked to create their own powerpoint.
Web Quest
I really enjoyed creating the Web Quest because it acted as an online lesson which I have never had the opportunity to create before. I have used Wix before in classes, but not very extensively and surely not as a "teacher". In the future, I would like to explore more of Wix's features to create a more interactive and easily accessible Web Quest for my students. I think something like this would be useful even if you have an in person class because it allows students to have interactive directions on how to complete a project or can be a review of a lesson which would come in handy especially if a student missed a class.
https://alinakorray.wixsite.com/eme2040korray
Comments
I commented Morgan's blog post in regard to the Web Quest and the potential difficulties of this type of platform for younger students. I also commented on Brittany's post about how powerpoint can be used to teach at all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
The lesson plan I chose to evaluate and critique is called "Hiding Homophones" and can be accessed through this link https://www.teacher.org/lesson-plan/hiding-homophones/ The lesson plan does know its learners and is designed for 4th graders. It specifically states that homophones chosen for the lesson should be "appropriate for the grade level and ability level of the students". The lesson plan also clearly articulates the objectives or goals for the lesson which are for students to "identify, pronounce, and illustrate common homophones to strengthen skills and understanding". In terms of establishing the learning environment, this lesson plan does not dictate that their should be changes to the classroom space, but it does make learning active through an illustrative activity and dictates that students should work with a partner. I do believe that the strategies of the lesson plan are effective for the learners as well as the objectives. Although the diversity of the learners could be better established (i.e. do any of the students have learning disabilities, etc.). The technology used is appropriate since this lesson plan simply uses a board (presumably a smart board), but a regular white board can be used if the classroom does not have access to such technology.
Bloom's Taxonomy
Powerpoint is a great tool to teach at every level of Bloom's Taxonomy. The first level is remembering and references remembering prior information. The powerpoint can have a review slide for all of the important prior knowledge that will be used during the lesson. The next level is understand which requires comprehension from the students. The power point can provide different images and examples to further explain information to better be understood. The next level is application for which the powerpoint can lead into an activity planned by the teacher which will allow students to apply their knowledge and understanding of the lesson subject. In regard to the level of analysis, tools on powerpoint such as smart art can be used to create flow charts, Venn diagrams, etc. These tools can also be used during the next level, evaluation. The powerpoint can also prompt the teacher to lead a discussion justifying the activities and how they have related to what they are learning. The last level is creation. The powerpoint can explain a project that students are expected to complete or the students can even be asked to create their own powerpoint.
Web Quest
I really enjoyed creating the Web Quest because it acted as an online lesson which I have never had the opportunity to create before. I have used Wix before in classes, but not very extensively and surely not as a "teacher". In the future, I would like to explore more of Wix's features to create a more interactive and easily accessible Web Quest for my students. I think something like this would be useful even if you have an in person class because it allows students to have interactive directions on how to complete a project or can be a review of a lesson which would come in handy especially if a student missed a class.
https://alinakorray.wixsite.com/eme2040korray
Comments
I commented Morgan's blog post in regard to the Web Quest and the potential difficulties of this type of platform for younger students. I also commented on Brittany's post about how powerpoint can be used to teach at all levels of Bloom's Taxonomy.
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