EME2040

EME2040  Reflective Essay

  

Heart of a Teacher  

 Intro to Technology for educators is a class I can never forget! Because of having class once a week, it was a bit challenging for me at times to take in so much information. That was the thing for me, getting so much information in so little time but I tried my best to grasp as much as I could. In EME 2040 class I was able to discover the many different aspects of the teacher's world and how important it is for a teacher to keep themselves open and receptive to the different learning and teaching styles in order to create and maintain an "effective" classroom.    

  Many people and I would agree that students learn better when they are taught visually and interactively  instead of just the regular basic speaking lecture. With images and videos from the computer being projected on a large screen it is more comfortable for students to view together as an audience it also grabs their attention a lot better. With technology integrated lessons we can tell stories, write lesson plans, do researches, share images, communicate, tour the world,share videos, and so much more! If it brings captures the attention of students why not use it?   

  In class I enjoyed learning about the different tools out there to help a teachers grade such as rubrics. I learned what a rubric was and how to create one by setting it up the way I would a yummy to not so great pizza! I learned the 5 key elements to evaluating a website to determine whether the site is credible or not.  Anyone can create a boring lesson but when you start using images from Flickr or videos on Youtube, the possibilities are endless as to how you can improve your lessons using all this great technology. When given the opportunity to work in groups such as for the collaborative lesson plan and instructional wiki project it was exciting to see all the ideas that everyone was coming up with for just one assignment,working with group members all online without speaking to each other was a challenge for me!   

 I also was taught how to create a Web-Quest and a Pecha Kucha which is and upscale version of PowerPoint using mostly pictures. The project that I loved the most was creating  my own teacher web page portfolio. It was cool to see all the work I did for the class and made me realize how much Professor Coleman helped us by providing us with tools, tricks, and ideas to set a firm foundation. By seeing everything all together really showed me the big picture.

 Leaving this class I will be able to take many things with me to establish in a classroom of my own. As a teacher I will definitely create teacher websites/blogs that I can update weekly to keep my students and parents engaged. Professor Coleman showed me many websites to get me started such as Blogger, Wix, Weebly and more.






Maloy, R.W.(2011). Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources. In Transforming 

Learning with new Technologies (pp.153-4). Boston, MA: Pearson

"Heart of Teacher." YouTube. YouTube, 23 Aug. 2010. Web. 24 Apr. 2013.

Journal 11

CHAPTER 11 
ENGAGING TEACHERS and STUDENTS in LEARNING and SELF-REFLECTION

Focus Question 1: What is performance-based assessment for teachers and for students?

• Teachers can use norm-referenced tests, criterion-referenced tests, standards-based assessments to evaluate their students. Supervisors can use these same assessments to evaluate their students.
• Performance evaluation bases assessment on work completed rather than tests taken, including such performances areas as student writing, individual presentations and performances.
• Performance evaluation has a dual focus for teachers-they are continually evaluating them.

In the act of learning, people obtain content knowledge, acquire skills, and develop work habits—and practice the application of all three to “real world” situations. Performance-based learning and assessment represent a set of strategies for the acquisition and application of knowledge, skills, and work habits through the performance of tasks that are meaningful and engaging to students.


Tech Tool: CPS Pulse Clicker from http://www.einstruction.com/cps-overview

 

(photo credit einstuction.com/cpsoverview)

• Offers color-coded and easy-to-press buttons that make it intuitive for students to answer questions and participate in lessons.
• CPS Spark™ supports multiple-choice, true-false and yes-no questions.
• Seamlessly and automatically integrate with ExamView^® to ensure you won’t lose images, answers, test banks, or data during assessment and grading.

Summary&Connection 

Chapter 11 looks at how teachers and students can participate in evaluating and assessing their own growth using technology. Teachers can use student participation systems to effectively assess by allowing each student in the class to answer a particular question.They “offer interactive learning options for teachers and students” (Maloy, et al., 2012, p. 318). These tools have numerous advantages: active learning, student involvement, real-time feedback, question-driven instruction. I used clickers before in high school as part of an exam tool. I liked it very much because I felt more engaged in what I was doing and it kind of made me excited about taking the test! Assessment tools like these are really cool to have for students it gets them open to different styles of taking tests and also comfortable.

 

Refrences

"CPS™ Student Response Systems." Welcome to EInstruction. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Apr. 2013.

Maloy, R.W., Verock-O’Loughlin, R., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2012). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. Pearson Education, Inc.

Journal post#9

CHAPTER 9

CREATING and SHARING INFORMATION with MULTIMEDIA TECHNOLOGIES

Focus Question 3: How can teachers use video resources in their teaching? 

• Videos and DVDs are widely used teaching tools that, when well made, convey important information in academically interesting, visually engaging ways.
• Video viewing can be a passive experience unless teachers create opportunities for students to interact with and respond to on screen material.
• Successful strategies for using videos and DVDs in interactive ways include the pause and rewind buttons, asking students to write responses  to what they have seen, recognizing that briefer video segments carry a large impact, and varying the viewing experience by occasionally turning off the sound or the picture.

Videos and DVDs are widely used teaching tools that, when well made, convey important information in academically interesting, visually engaging ways. Teachers can use video resources in their teaching as a Before, During, or After learning strategy. Students can even make their own classroom movies using digital video cameras and movie-making software

Tech Tool 9.2: Resources for the classroom PBS Teachers
Provides up-to-date listings of television programs shown daily and weekly at your local public broadcasting station, including programs especially for students. I love how this chapter talks about PBS! I loved watching PBS when I was younger it had so many educational programs but at the time I did not even notice that at the time I just loved their cool age related programs that involved dancing, science experiments, interactive games, riddles and much more. PBS offers wonderful teaching resources at any grade level. My favorite show on PBS was ZOOM an educational television series, created almost entirely by children which made it so much more fun.The video below was one of my favorite episode the Cup challenge:)

Summary and Connection
This Chapter focuses on the importance of using software such as PowerPoint, videos and DVDs, digital and cameras to present information for learning. The information in this chapter was very useful for me because me wanting to be an elementary school teacher, I know that using a lot of visual aid is important for younger children.I really like the idea of students collaborating to make their own classroom movie on subjects like Language Arts, History acting out an important person back in time, Math, demonstrations of procedures, Student-created presentation, video lectures, video portfolios etc. That is something I would enjoy doing myself! 






Resources:
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010).Transforming learning with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon. 

Journal #8

CHAPTER 8
COMMUNICATING and NETWORKING with WEBSITES, BLOGS, WIKIS, and MORE





Focus Question 1: How can teachers use communications technologies as teaching and learning tools?

• Communications technologies provide ways for teachers to connect with their students, promote meaningful learning, and extend academics beyond classroom time limit
• Teachers have five reasons to use electronic communications:

             1. Teaching strategies
             2. Information sharing
             3. Community building
             4. Publishing student work
             5. Energizing student writing

• Teacher or classroom websites developed by teachers to communicate information, homework, projects, lesson plans etc.

FactMonster.com

 Tech tool:  Fact Monster

I love a good website that really gets a student excited to learn. Fact Monster is a great website that a teacher can use to really open up a lesson plan and lay it out flat for students especially for the ones who need the extra help outside of the classroom. Fact Monster has a homework center where students can click on any subject, and a skills section where they can acquire better listening skills, studying skills, writing, and researching skills. I would definitely use Fact Monster as a guideline to start a website for my own classroom. 




Summary & Connection:


 It feels good to have choices and outside classroom help as a student because sometimes I just cannot grasp everything at one in class. Also,Teachers may not always be able to present their lesson thoroughly so having a website fro the class extends the impact of a textbook. Teachers can post class notes, inquiry questions, homework assignments, writing ideas, or Web links for further research Developing your own electronic communication system offers an efficient way to continue teaching your students when class or school is not in session. 


 Resources:
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010). Transforming learning with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon.
 

Journal post #7

CHAPTER 7 
PROBLEM SOLVING AND INQUIRY LEARNING with SOFTWARE and WEB TOOLS

Focus Question 4: How can teachers use computer games and simulations as learning resources?

• Digital games for learning represent a new category of educationally themed games that focus on active learning, sustained concentration and focus and new ways to problem solving.
• Strategies for effectively using games in the classroom include minimizing those that teach isolated skills, carefully choosing games that solely based on winning or losing points, discussing game content with students and actually playing games with your students.
• When people play games they are learning a new literacy, one that is grounded in learning how to read visual images on screens and understanding it this promotes visual learning and visual literacy.

Tech Tool: Scratch

This chapter had some really cool resources in their "Tech Tool" section. The one that I found to interesting was a cool and highly engaged programming system called Scratch. With Scratch, you can create your own interactive stories, animations, games, music, and art while sharing your creations on the web! As old as I am, I found myself actually enjoying this cool website and appreciating more of what technology has done and is still doing today. Below is an tutorial on how to use Scratch...enjoy:)  

Summary&Connection
Computer games are very popular among young children and adolescents today, from jumping over explosive landmines to taking care of farm animals, computer games are great at getting a child in that engaged and excited mindset so why not use them for educational purposes as well? Even though some educators might disagree with taking part with any type of gaming in the classroom I really do think that as a teacher you  have to know how to guide and direct what goes on your classroom and how you want your students to learn. I have always been a some what of a slow learner. I remember using educational websites in kindergarten and those online games and simulations really did make a difference for me when it came to me becoming a better reader and critical thinker today


Resources

Maloy, R. W. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Journal post #6

CHAPTER 6 Teaching with Educational Websites and Other Online Resources

Focus Question:How might educational websites provide interactive and engaging learning experiences  for students?

• Educational  websites provide opportunities for students to explore their own questions or through a site in a nonlinear, self-directed manner.

• Educational websites allow students to engage with online material through stories, characters, mysteries, and controversial issues.

 Interactivity, exploration and engagement are great features to look for on an educational  website. An excellent education website teaches rather than presents information just like a teacher in a classroom to students.



Tech Tool: WebQuest
Before this post I was not sure what a WebQuest was so i typed it into Google and I soon discovered thousands of online lessons created by teachers around the world. Through this i learned that a WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning. The greatest thing for me about a WebQuest is that it provides interactive virtual explorations of ideas and concepts. One of my goals in life is to travel and just explore new things I know I would really enjoy an activity involving a WebQuest. I found a really cool example of a WebQuest designed for 5th graders where they are to explore and sale the seas with a well-known explorer from the past. The student must write a persuasive letter to convince the crew to let you stay aboard and be a sailor.  http://mrshuttersclass.tripod.com/


Summary&Connection
I learned a couple things in this chapter. I know it is important for educators to switch it up a bit to keep students engaged and learning. I learned what a WebQuest was and how cool it would be to use in my own classroom. Students can even create their own Quest and have each other explore,critic or even grade each other! Educational technology is growing pretty fast these days and this chapter does well with guiding a teacher with ways they can be apart of the growth as well.

Resources:
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010). Transforming learning with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon.

Journal post#5

 RESEARCHING and EVALUATING INTERNET INFORMATION

photo credit : http://www.sllboces.org/site/Default.aspx?PageID=698

Focus question #1:What is the meaning of information literacy for teachers and students.

• Instantly available information on the internet is transforming the work of teachers, creating the need to teach students how to access and assess the resources and materials they find online.
• Teaching students how to do internet research is a crucial element of information literacy an dinvolves learning how to recognize and utilize high-quality electronic information
• Information literacy and Internet research together enable students to act as critical readers and thoughtful researchers in Web-based environments.

Tech Tool 5.1 : Photo and audio resources on the web
 Pictures and sound are valuable resources for creative learning and teaching. Images always make an huge impact on a students learning. Students enjoy visual images because it gives them some kind of understanding in a lesson it keeps them engaged and helps them grasp the ideas the teacher is trying to put out.. I have heard a lot about cool photo websites like Flickr as a resource to put images in projects and assignments. With Flickr you can manage and share your photos with a number of instructional options for teachers to add visual learning resources to your curriculum.



Summary and Connection

In summary this chapter is all about how teachers and students can realize the possibilities and meet the challenges of the vast library of information known as the Internet. Both teachers and students need that educational information. I believe that it is important for teachers to really know what they are doing when beginning a new lesson plan especially in ways that they can  get the message out with a clear understanding from the students . Teachers should not feel reluctant to go online looking for ideas to help with a lesson or to just do some quick research after all, the internet is great for that. The internet is full of ideas and tools for students and teachers. For myself I know I would use the internet a lot for many things because I want to make sure I am accurate about what I am doing and have enough back-up research knowledge to answer a students question.


Resources:
Maloy, R. W., Verock-O, R. E., Edwards, S. A., & Woolf, B. P. (2010). Transforming learning with new technologies. Allyn & Bacon.