ILP "Design" - Edmodo

For my second ILP, I created a class Edmodo page for a 10th grade American History class. I created tabs and folders for homework and important dates. I also created a field trip permission slip, several homework assignments, and a quiz. If I become a teacher, Edmodo will be a major part of my class and I will do my best to ensure students have a great experience using it. The group code is 9mtse9.

Blog Post #10

After using the data collection website in class and learning more about Excel, I now realize how important each tool can be to classroom success. As a teacher, data collection could be immensely helpful by allowing teachers to survey the class before teaching a lesson. As a history teacher for tenth grade students, I would give students a survey and let them assess their knowledge on a scale of 1-5 on topics that will be covered for the weekly lesson. For example, if I am teaching about the civil war/slavery, I could ask "How much do you know about cash crops?" or "How well do you know what led to the Civil War?" and then based off of my students answers I could focus more or less on an area of study. Not only will it save time, but it will allow me to spend more time with students that do not have an understanding of the topic, leading them to be better prepared later on in the class.

A topic I found interesting when reading my classmates' blogs was the different Web 2.0 tools everybody would use. Web 2.0 tools are very helpful for not only students, but teachers too. The tools are meant to better connect with students and enhance learning. I saw quite a few students write about Remind101, which is a tool teachers can use to send messages directly to students to remind them about upcoming due dates or homework assignments. Remind101 is just one of the few useful Web 2.0 tools teachers can utilize to better every student's classroom experience and I find them very interesting because they show the pace at which education technology is becoming better equipped for the future.

A technology-related skill that I would like to learn next is Excel. I know we are working on Excel in class right now, but I also know that it is nearly impossible to cover everything about it. At this moment, I know the basics of Excel, such as using it for averaging, creating large sets of data, solving equations quickly, and creating graphs. However, there is so much more that Excel offers that I want to be able to take advantage of because it is a vital skill to have in, not just teaching, but the workplace in general. After our educational technology class is complete, I will take up more learning opportunities, whether it is doing online tutorials or actual Excel workshops, I will do my best to better the skill of Microsoft Excel.

Blog Post #9

I have dealt with a flipped classroom once in my life and it wasn't for very long. In eleventh grade, my psych teachers began doing flipped classroom and I genuinely disliked it enough to switch out of the class. Anyways, a flipped classroom is when teachers upload videos of themselves teaching to a certain website, whether it be a school-related website or youtube. Students are supposed to watch the videos as homework and learn the information at home so when they go into class the next day, they work on things that would otherwise be homework. A flipped classroom is meant to give students an active, hands-on learning experience, rather than just listening to a teacher lecture. Flipped classrooms are supposed to be more engaging and give students better learning opportunities. According to Teaching and Learning with Technology, whether it actually does give students a better learning opportunity is up for debate. Here is a link to a website called WatchKnowLearn.org, they supply thousands of videos related to a multitude of different grade-related subjects. http://www.watchknowlearn.org/

Open education allows for a greater amount of people to gain access to educational information. Open education is so important because it allows people without the proper means, such as money or even location, to gain valuable knowledge. The podcast discussed how MIT uploads videos of lectures and course material that anybody can access for free, even though a person is not a part of the school they are still getting the opportunity to learn the same information as the students there. Open content is the idea of sharing learning material between educators. There are 4 "Rs" of open content: reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute. Reuse is meant for one person, revising and remixing are changing the content and mixing it together with other information, and redistribution means distributing resources in a different way than previously gained. Whether it is students or educators, open education allows for people all around to connect with valuable learning material that will further increase the learning abilities of many.

The two PowerPoints were one of my favorite activities we have had to complete thus far in the class. In the first PowerPoint created I learned how to record my voice over the entire slideshow and I believe that will be very helpful for the future. The voice recording feature could be used when teaching an online class and would allow students to get a more classroom-related feeling as they are learning. In the second PowerPoint the main thing I learned was going between slides with a hyperlink. I was actually surprised when I learned about how much more there was to learn about PowerPoint and how helpful it could be when teaching. I enjoyed creating both PowerPoints and I know as I generate more I will continue to enhance my ability to become a better instructor.

Blog Post #8

Last week at the Assistive Technology Lab we saw quite a few different types of technology that can aid students with disabilities. However, before we entered the lab we were given examples of anatomy textbooks that had images labeled in Braille. I had never seen, or even heard of a Braille textbook prior to this experience and I was amazed at the sight of the resource. When I first navigated some of the diagrams in the textbooks I was confused as to how well they actually worked for a visually impaired student, but the women who was presenting assured that the textbooks greatly helped students. With that in mind, I now realize how much of a help a Braille textbook could be to students with visual impairments. Another technology we saw was what I believe was called the SmartPen. The SmartPen is one of the most fascinating technologies I have been around. The SmartPen allowed students to record a professor while writing and transferred all information to a connected app which then allowed students to go back after class and review notes at their own pace.

Bloom's Taxonomy consists of six levels of cognition: remembering, understanding, applying, analyzing, evaluating, and creating. Bloom's levels of taxonomy are meant to give instructors a pattern on how to teach their students and the order material should be presented. As a teacher, for the remember area I would give information to the students that is necessary to the topic being covered and I would allot them a certain amount of time to remember the material. For understanding, I would have a slide with questions for them to answer out loud to ensure each student has proper knowledge of the material. To apply what they learned, I would give them a problem that had to be solved using what they have learned up to that point. When it comes to analyzing material, I would have slides on the PowerPoint that are meant for the students to differentiate between information they have learned on the topic so far and unseen information. I would then have the students compare one another's results and evaluate all the material understood and collected up until that point. Finally, I would give the students a set of instructions for them to complete and create a new way to learn the information they had gained throughout the PowerPoint. How to integrate Bloom's Taxonomy into a PowerPoint definitely depends on the class and lesson being taught and different methods have to be taken.

In education now it is vital that teachers know the ins and outs of technology. However, staying updated with technology isn't an easy task, even for students. A website I found to help stay connected with technology is a Facebook page called "Technology Updates." "Technology Updates" is constantly posting new technological advances from around the world on their page. It may seem like a lot but just scrolling through the page allows one to see a bunch of advances previously unheard or just simple tech tips and tricks to be more efficient.

https://www.facebook.com/Technology-updates-1900182406931722/?hc_ref=SEARCH&fref=nf

Blog Post #7

Adaptive technology is technology that is used to help students with disabilities. Adaptive technologies allow students who have trouble reading, writing, and learning to do those three abilities as best as possible. An example of an adaptive technology would be word prediction. Word prediction allows students with spelling issues or physical impairments to complete a thought without typing out the full word. Word prediction is such a simple feature that can help so many students with writing and allow them to finish what they need at a faster pace. Another adaptive technology that I believe could be very helpful is something I have never heard of, a Braille printer. Braille printers are able to print words in Braille and can greatly help visually impaired students. I do not personally know anybody that has used some of the adaptive technologies for learning purposes. The only issues I see with adaptive technologies in the classroom are funding issues. I feel that something such as a Braille printer would be very expensive, therefore limiting how impactful certain technologies could be for students with disabilities.

The main skill I learned while working on the website was how to create a website. I had created a website when I was in elementary school but that was with a group and it was very simple. I used Wix to create my website for EME and, to me, it was much easier than Weebly. I felt that I got better and better as I created my website, added images, and edited text. I liked that I was able to choose a template and then completely customize it to my liking and how it would best benefit my students, just as a teacher would do. To make it better, next time I could do more editing and add more material to each page. The website helped me by giving me experience in engineering a class website that was easy to navigate and benefited both students and parents. Here is the link to my site https://jsb16g.wixsite.com/joshbsite

Before EME2040, I hadn't heard of Diigo. Diigo is actually a very useful annotating and reasearch tool. Diigo has showed me how to annotate articles easily and I like how students have the ability to highlight and comment on certain pieces of text. Diigo could be used in the classroom as a great group research tool. Having the ability to see other students' and even teachers' annotations is a major help and shows how beneficial collaborative learning could be. Even if you're not working in a group, Diigo is great because it allows anybody to easily annotate and navigate websites; the best part is that your work is always saved on to Diigo's website. Professionally, Diigo could be imperative to a classroom because it will allow me to go and annotate a website and then show my students what I believe is important to their learning. Diigo seems to give students, teachers, and any professional endless opportunities to research in a more interactive manner.

ILP “Participation” – Technology Sandbox

On Tuesday, February 21st our EME 2040 class visited the Technology Sandbox in the College of Education. The Technology Sandbox had an array of devices that students and educators could use to enhance learning. I was amazed at the technology they had inside the room and learned so much in the 45 minutes we were in there. In the Technology Sandbox, I learned more about 3D printers and Google Glass, but the found out about the item that interested me the most, the Smart Board. Before our visit, I had no clue what a Smart Board or Promethean Board were and I was in awe watching the demonstrations take place.

When we first came in Martin introduced us to the 3D printer they had in the Technology Sandbox and showed us several gadgets it had engineered. I found it very interesting when he told us how long and how challenging it actually took to create the cube with the gears. However, the 3D printer could be a great source of learning for students by giving them an opportunity to feel and see what they are learning about. i.e. a cube and its six sides. We then saw the Smart Board and Promethean board which sparked a great deal of interest. I could not believe how advanced the boards were. The boards reminded me of projectors many classrooms have, except these boards gave students and teachers a hands on opportunity. It made it seem that the possibilities with the boards were endless. The Google Glass was also very intriguing. Although I found the glasses interesting, it seemed that there was not much need or use the public would have for them, which is why Google did not mass produce them. The last technology we saw was the Oculus Rift. The Rift was mind-blowing in that it allows people to be immersed into another world. The Oculus Rift technology could give many students an opportunity to see places and do experiments that would seem near-impossible from a classroom and that was truly amazing.

An image of the Google Glass.

This is the Oculus Rift.

This is the Promethean board.

This is the 3D printer. It is printing a tiny shark in this image. 

This is the Smart Board.

Blog Post #6

I went to Leon County High School's website and looked at several teachers' pages. All of the teachers I looked at had a side bar that included tabs such as "Meet the Teacher," where the teacher introduced his or herself and discussed what the class was going to encompass. Other tabs that I saw on all pages were "Assignments" and "Class Calendar." I believe that it was mandatory for all teachers to have certain tabs listed on their sites for students to utilize. Besides what I believe to be the mandatory tabs, teachers had other options that were course related. I clicked on a Law Studies teacher and he had tabs such as "Law Studies" and "American Government" and when I clicked on a culinary teacher's website, she had tabs such as "Culinary Arts 1" and  "Culinary Arts 2" for different grade levels. I believe the culinary arts teacher teaches all grade levels, but has classes ranging in difficulty. Here is a link to the Law Studies teacher http://www.leonschools.net/Domain/4907

The main product I would use to ensure efficiency as a teacher is Microsoft Office. Office is a simple way to create notes, tests, rubrics, and many others. As a teacher in the beginning of his career I feel that Office would be the best and most simple item to use. The podcast also mentioned using spreadsheets to help calculate student's grades and I could not agree more. I recall asking my teachers in high school, "What would my grade be if I got this on this project?" or something along the lines of that. My teacher would simply open up his or her spreadsheet software, type in the grade and within a matter of moments my grade would be calculated. The last thing mentioned was setting up a website to  help connect teachers and parents/students. A website would be an excellent way of communicating and help to limit the amount of miscommunication between home and school. It seems that younger students lose so much information that must get to parents and it causes much confusion between the parents and the school, so a website could be a possible solution.

At the Technology Sandbox, we saw many different pieces of technology; from Google Glass, 3D printers, and Smart Boards and Promethean boards. I was very interested in the Smart and Promethean board because of how simple they could be integrated into a classroom. The boards were an excellent source because they make class such a hands-on experience. At one point one Martin brought up the example of having a teacher ask a student a simple question such as 2+2 and then answering it on the Promethean board. I feel that something as simple as that could help a lot of students get the hands-on opportunity many of them crave. Also the ability to show objects on screen in a 3 dimensional point of view was amazing. Science classes could be drastically changed if the boards were integrated into the classroom; no longer would students be analyzing a one sided picture in a textbook, wondering what the other half looks like. It seems that the possibilities with the Smart Board and Promethean board are endless and I cannot wait to seem them seamlessly integrated into schools all around. 

Blog Post #5

There are several Web 2.0 technologies available today. From Youtube, Twitter, Wikis, and many more, I feel a majority of them are a very useful tool in the classroom. In our class alone use two Web 2.0 tool, Twitter and blogs, and I believe they are very helpful. Twitter allows for the students in class to connect constantly and express themselves greatly. Twitter has created a type of unity inside of the classroom and has given students the opportunity to get their opinions across promptly and easily. Like Twitter, the blogs have been an excellent Web 2.0 tool inside the classroom. I believe the blogs are great for students, but more beneficial for teachers. The blog allows for teachers to see how students are understanding and communicating their ideas and gives an opportunity for teachers to give feedback easily.

As a teacher, a very interesting tool to use would be Prezi (https://prezi.com/). Prezi is a website that allows for individuals to create informational slides, but in a visually appealing way. Prezi can be used for any topic a teacher is teaching and, in my opinion, keeps students engaged better than a PowerPoint. Powerpoint's are a great teaching source, but do not have a look that is engaging as Prezi. Prezi's main idea is to map-out information by using its "story-telling" type of interface keeps students interested more than just a slideshow. I have used Prezi's to study in the past and they have helped me greatly because it is students and teachers that are creating the presentation.

In chapter 12, the authors write about augmented reality and I believe it could be a major source in the future of education. In my environmental class, we do our labs online in what I consider "augmented reality-lite." I consider the labs a lite version because we are not actually doing all the movements ourselves, just controlling an avatar. However, in the future augmented reality could give students and educators the ability to do experiments without actually being face-to-face with everything they need. Augmented reality could give students a first-hand experience of a world they cannot get near. Teachers in history classes could allow students to see different parts of the world, or science classes could have students get a better understanding of an experiment by doing it through augmented reality. I feel that augmented reality could enhance how students learn drastically if used properly and accordingly

Blog Post #4

At the beginning of EME 2040, I was a bit skeptical about a class Twitter page. I have had a few prior experiences when teachers have used the class-social media concept and it has not worked. Now that we have been in EME for 6 weeks now, I realize that the class Twitter was actually an excellent idea. I enjoy interacting with my classmates during our live-tweet class sessions and even outside of the classroom. It is very interesting to see what everyone is thinking about the subjects we are discussing inside of class. I feel that I have been interacting with several of my classmates, including Richard and Will, and also through direct message with Taehyeong. Twitter will be such a major advantage in my future career because so much occurs on the social media and it is so important now to be proficient in all the features. Twitter offers so many different ways to connect with other people and companies and can be an immense positive in the workplace if used properly. 

The digital divide affects student success in school because not every student has equal access to technology. The digital divide could come down to being a student in a school with a great amount of funding which leads to better and more technology and more technological opportunities or being a student in a not so affluent area with less access to technology or just not having the most up-to-date technology. Technology is such an asset in the society we live in today and not having access to it could actually be detrimental to one's learning ability. The society is quickly transitioning to a tech-based world and having as much knowledge as possible is what will lead to being successful later in life. Some causes of the digital divide are household income or even a student's location. As a teacher, some students may not have the same amount of access to technology as others so I will have to compensate by assigning work that fairly assesses students and that does not require a mass amount of technological input. 

There are several softwares I would consider using a teacher, including drill-and-practice, problem-solving, and tutorials. However, the software I would definitely use the most is the educational games. When I was younger, teachers would give us websites to visit that had games associated with the subject we were learning and it actually helped greatly to reenforce what we were going over. I feel that pairing teaching with some type of fun activity will allow students to connect to the subject much better, especially at such a young age. The software I do not expect to use is the concept-mapping software. I believe that students at the age I would like to teach at would not totally grasp the concept of "maps" and the entirety of the brainstorming process. All the softwares in the textbook will give students great advantages, just at different times in their school careers. 

Newsletter

Blogpost #3

I feel that there are more ELA technology standards that I need to learn and become proficient with, than there are that I am comfortable teaching. Surprisingly, I feel as if I could properly teach standard W/WHST.8, which integrates using multiple sources. In W/WHST.8, the student should be proficient in note taking off of a print and digital source and should have the ability to sift through credible and non-credible sources. Standard W/WHST.8 is something that I have been doing for a very long time and a standard I feel prepared to teach. One standard I am not sure I could teach comfortably is standard W/WHST.2, which entails writing to explain and inform. I know I can write to explain and inform but the subjects within the standard are what make me feel uneasy in my teaching ability at the moment. I do not feel one hundred percent confident in creating charts and table and utilizing figures to teach my students. I hope by the end of EME 2040 I will feel very confident in my ability to teach students about ELA technology standards.

The technology I would like to use with my students is the same technology we use in EME 2040: the blog. I believe that blogs allow for students to best connect with one another and their teacher very simply and efficiently. The textbook reminded me of Glogster and after reading it I actually remembered creating a Glogster when I was in elementary school. The blog allowed for kids to be personal in school, where it is sometimes a challenge to break out of the "private" bubble. I do not remember the specific class I created it for but I do know my classmates and I found it very interesting to be in control of our own website. Glogster leads me into my next point about the digital citizenship concepts. Digital citizenship is one of the most important online "rules;" a set of guidelines that people of all ages should follow. I will be sure my students at around the ages of seven or eight are fully aware of the digital citizenship guidelines because if they are not taught about being respectful online at a young age it will lead to issues when they are older.

The one skill that my newsletter taught me was two-column design. When we first began to practice two-column design I could not seem to grasp the concept of it, but now I feel very proficient in using two-column design. I also increased my abilities in utilizing Word Art and knowing where and when to use it. The most challenging part about the newsletter was creating the paragraphs to write inside the shapes. I believe that if I had students and an actual class the information would have come more natural to me and been a breeze to write. The newsletter was a major part of my elementary school career and I recall receiving a newsletter every week from my school. The next time I create a newsletter, I will make it more organized and with every newsletter after. my creativity will reach new heights.

Blog Post #2

I have been using Microsoft Word as a student since third grade. I specifically remember using Microsoft Word to help with my science fair projects in third and fifth grade. Microsoft Word has been an integral part of my learning and success throughout my years in school and as I have gotten into higher education it has become more and more important. Whether I am using Microsoft Word to write essays for English, create surveys for math, or even write skits for other class projects, it has been one of the greatest and most simple technologies I have used in my life. I have seen my teachers use Microsoft Word to create a multitude of items throughout the years such as, tests, quizzes, syllabi, and other instructional worksheets. Microsoft Word is just as important to me, as a student, as it has been to all of my teachers.

I have never really thought much about copyright and fair use except when writing an essay and properly citing a source. Throughout my years in school I have searched the web and taken images that are useful to my work or project and just copy and pasted them into my document. I have constantly cited sources from books, articles and other documents to avoid plagiarism but not often did I think about attributing something to the original owner of the image I received from Google. I have also seen many of my teachers use images and documents that they were not the original writer or owner of, but as I read in the "Code of Best Practices" document, I believe they were allowed to do so because they were using it for educational purposes. As a teacher, I would educate my students on copyright and ensure that they are properly citing the documents and images they use in their work. As a teacher, when developing my own instructional materials I will take influence from other documents but never directly and blatantly use someone else's work and try to pass it as my own; I will be sure to give credit to the rightful owner of the image or source I used.

There are several aspects to technology implementation issues and they are broken down into three categories in chapter 11 of Teaching and Learning with Technology. The issues are split into legal issues such as, copyright, and piracy; social issues such as, cyberbullying, and then ethical issues such as, academic honest and privacy (Lever-Duffy & McDonald 257). A solution to the copyright issue would be to make sure all students are educated on what and how to avoid copyright. Students must know when to give proper credit and attribution to a document that they used to aide their work. Cyberbullying is a major social issue and while in school a teacher should do his or her best to prevent it as much as he or she can. As stated in Teaching and Learning with Technology, teachers can do their part by educating their students on cyberbullying and how to prevent it or what to do when encountering the issue. One main issue that I was always taught about was academic dishonesty. Teachers and educators constantly remind students that academic dishonesty is one of the worst crimes a student could commit. To prevent academic dishonesty, like other issues, teachers must be sure to properly educate their students on the consequences of their actions and how harsh the penalty could be. It is important for all these issues,that students are taught sooner, rather than later, on what to do to prevent any of the aforementioned problems from arising.

Blog Post #1

As our society continues to shift to a more technology-oriented kind, our younger generation must be educated accordingly. Teachers are now being prompted more often than not to assure they are technologically literate. According to Teaching and Learning with Technology, several programs, such as the ISTE who founded NETS, have been implemented to influence teachers to go back to school or go to workshops to keep up with technology and pass down their knowledge to their students. One of the main influences of technology in the classroom is the fact that each individual student has his or her own style of learning. Technology allows a teacher to harness a student's abilities will in turn make him or her a better teacher and only increase the student's learning ability.

The ISTE's main goal is to assure that our society's future children are up-to-date with all technology and are able to excel in their future career paths. The way the ISTE sees to do that is by implementing standards to guarantee that all educators have more than enough knowledge of technology to be able to teach their students. The ISTE knows how quickly the world is changing and how important it will and may already be to be "tech-savvy." One standard that gladdens my heart is the NETS Empowered Learner, which wants students to show competency by using technology in their learning goals (ISTE). A standard that seems outside of my current skill-set is the Global Collaborator standard, which I read about on the ISTE's website. The Global Collaborator standard wants students to work together to increase their learning abilities. I feel that is outside of my current skill set right now because I have not had the opportunity to work with other students digitally yet and help increase my learning ability.

I do agree with the term digital native for today's youth. To be a digital native means that our generation is one of the first, if not the first, to grow up using the technology we use today. Digital natives grew up and are still growing up with technology seamlessly integrating into their lives. Most digital natives seem to have no issue grasping the ideas and usages of new technology. I have seen a difference between how myself and teachers use technology. I have had a number of teachers struggle with simple tasks such as turning on the projector or uploading a Powerpoint. Teachers having difficulty with technology has not been an issue in my learning as someone is usually able to help the teacher figure out the problem and even show the teacher how to properly work certain technologies. I anticipate the future generation being even more skilled than my generation is now. The future generation will grow up with people who already know the background and basics of technology, which will only make it more simple for them to harness and use.

Blog Post #0

My first encounter with technology was when I was younger and I began using the desktop computer in my house to play games online. Overtime, technology became an integral part of my life. I needed to use technology for research, school and basic questions, every single day. My father bought me a Macbook Pro for my fifteenth birthday and that exact laptop and my iPhone are my main sources of technology. I use both devices from when I wake up until the time I go to bed, sometimes I use them simultaneously. Overall, I feel that my experiences with technology have been very positive and without the knowledge of technology that I have accrued I do not believe I would have the abilities I do now. Technological experiences have very much helped shape who I am and how I use my knowledge.

In EME 2040, I hope to learn more about various types of programs that can be helpful in the workplace and in my daily life. Throughout EME 2040, I want to be able to gain proficiency in Microsoft Excel specifically. Microsoft Excel is a tool that I have not used at all in school or at home and I feel that it will be an integral part of my future career. I want to have a job in the front office of a professional baseball team and a lot of their work has to do with statistics, charts, data, and graphs. Being able to gain a working knowledge of Excel would help me excel in my career path and only lead me to a better future. Gaining proficiency in as many aspects of technology in this class will help me very much and the tools I learn can only help me more in the future.

The Learning Style Questionnaire showed me what allows me to learn best. I had previously felt that I learned best when actually doing the problem out and the questionnaire further enforced that idea. I'm am surprised that I lean more towards verbal learning because I previously believed I that I learned better when actually seeing something, but I will look into how much verbally learning helps me in the future. Learning in steps has always been what I am best at. I have always felt that I needed structure in what I am doing and that order was very important. The questionnaire reinforced my belief that I am a very structured learner and that I will always learn best that way.