Final class reflection

Now that ED 5700 has come to an end, I want to take a moment a d reflect on this course as a whole. I started out the semester very wary about taking an online course. I didn't know what to expect and was instantly overwhelmed. Having all of the assignments at once is scary and only having 5 weeks to finish everything is worse. After taking a deep breath and planning out my weeks one step at a time, it didn't seem all that bad. As the weeks progressed, I found that I was managing my time much better than I originally was and I felt more confident in my ability to pass the class. Now, in hindsight, it all didn't seem too bad.
Forgetting the stress of finishing the work, the knowledge that I gained from this class is widespread. I learned a lot about technology, technology based lessons, integrating technology, and the usefulness of technology in the classroom. There is numerous articles and research that supports the integration of technology in classrooms to support student learning. We not only got a chance to learn about all these strategies to use in the class, we also had the opportunity to try out some technology to potentially use in a classroom. These activities that had us learn about new programs were some of the most helpful in the class. Gaining the hands on experience and practice explaining the program prepared us to use them in the classroom.
Although I had several difficulties with internet access during the final meeting, I thought it was a good experience. I never had the opportunity to participate in an online class that allowed the participants to present and discuss in a chat room. I think it is a very good method to integrate online classes with an in person component. It was much easier to comment on presentations verbally or through a chat for more instantaneous feedback on the presentations.
Overall, I think that I learned a lot from this class and found many tools to use in a classroom. I hope to be able to continue building my knowledge of technology and finding new ways to integrate technology into lessons to support student learning.

e folio reflection

For my class, ED 5700 Teaching with Technology,  we were required to compile all of our work into an e folio on the livebinders site. This process was very long, but in the end, I felt very proud of my work. We compiled majority of our work from the past 5 weeks by taking screen shots, creating google docs, and creating projects that all showed our growth during our time in the class.

This binder started with our teaching philosophy. Creating that statement was a very enlightening experience. I had to think a lot about the course, my own ideas of teaching, and how I would like to structure my future classroom. I have written these pieces in the past, but they are all tailored to the class. This class was the first that really made me think about what I want my students' learning experience to be. Children know and work with technology all the time. It is a very important aspect to consider in a classroom environment.

The e folio also consisted of all our work throughout the five weeks, When I spent time compiling all of my work, it was very apparent that my understanding of technology and integration methods has increased. Re reading my written explanations and looking at my work over time has shown growth and understanding of the material. I also had a chance to look at my reflections in the compilation of information. I realized that I began looking more deeply into my work and future ideas for my classroom as my pedagogical knowledge increased.

Overall, the e folio was a great resource for me to look through my progress in the class and easily compile my work for future use. If you would like to check out my e folio, you can view it here!

Web of Wonders Reflection

Through the process of creating the Web of Wonders (WoW) project, I learned a lot about technology and teaching technology. This project was all about our overall learning and a culminating project for our five week semester.  We were given the opportunity to create our own multimedia project about a topic of our choice. This choice may have been the hardest decision to make in the process of creating the WoW project. There are so many topics, integration strategies, and tools we learned about in the semester that it was hard to pick just one.

I decided to think about what I thought was the most informative and important piece to me as a future educator. What did I take away from this class that I could use in my classroom? For me, thinking of what tools and programs I would want to use always comes with the same question: “ What research supports this method?” Research based teaching strategies are very important to me. With all of the studies and data taken in the field of education, it is important to look for teaching methods that are proven to work.  

When looking at the text book and thinking about this question, I found a lot of information about classroom models that integrate online and in class components together to create a more informative experience for students. This idea of virtual learning can encompass many different classroom models. There is no set ratio of online and in class component that needs to be met, but blended classroom can support higher levels of learning. Blended environments allow learners to learn more and teachers to teach more. The students receive more individualized attention from teachers and also gain support through practice in the online component of the lessons.

One of the most common models of a blended environment is a flipped classroom. Students learn chosen components of lessons online provide more quality time with the teacher by avoiding re teaching the lesson several times to make sure everyone has the same amount of base knowledge to move into practice and discussion. With this time that is saved by online learning, the teacher can provide more quality, hands on instruction to support a constructivist model of learning. These online components of learning are usually provided to students as a homework assignment or in a center during the day before teacher instruction.

There are several studies that were provided in the textbook that supported these blended learning environments. Each environment can be changed to support the philosophy of the teacher and the needs of the class. Reading through all of the information in the book forced me to think about what strategy I would want to use in my classroom.I think that the flipped classroom is a very interesting model that I would like to try. Starting out as a new teacher,  I think it would be tough using this model for all lessons, but it would be good to try and have the opportunity to review and reflect on the lessons to improve for future attempts.

After choosing my topic and researching outside the information provided in the text, I moved to putting it all together in a multimedia presentation. Keeping with the theme of using new technology, I decided to create a Prezi for the first time. I could never figure out how people created these intricate presentations with so many dimensions. The actual creation of the presentation was very simple. I used a pre loaded template for the sake of saving time and got to work. I took time to explore the features of Prezi and learned that I could control the order of slides with a drag tool but couldn’t add a hyperlink, unfortunately.

Prezi is a fantastic tool to use as an alternative to the traditional powerpoint. With a prezi, your board is essentially infinite. You are provided with a board and all the tools and images you need to create an dimensional presentation. The movement across the board consists of zooms in and out, slides, turns, and many other transitions that keep you fascinated with just the presentation tool. I also learned, during the process of creating the prezi, that voice overs could be recorded and instantly played when the section of the prezi is called to the front. This feature makes the presentation more engaging and allows the viewer to move to hear the selected audio rather than a running audio that would need to be tracked forward or back to hear specific information pertinent to the slide.

Overall, I liked how the presentation came together after personalizing the template, adding all of the information, and incorporating the audio files to support the text. I think that each of the aspects of the lesson blended well together and  where I felt that my text was lacking, I added voice to support the point I was trying to get across. In my toolkit of presentation programs, I think that prezi was definitely the best choice. I would not have felt that a glog from glogster.com would not have been able to support the information I thought was important to share. After using prezi, a powerpoint seems like an outdated tool. There are features in powerpoint that a prezi can not accommodate, so given the proper circumstances, powerpoint still serves a purpose.

Through this experience, I learned more about the topic of flipped classrooms and other blended learning environments. There are two web pages that are linked at the end of the presentation. These two pages are links to descriptions and tips for a flipped classroom environment. Both pages are extremely helpful for teachers that are looking to try a flipped classroom. They are full of videos, tools, resources, and tips to successfully flip your classroom. I also found a video that is embedded into the presentation. In the video, a teacher is explaining how he uses flipped classroom strategies in his room and how they compare to traditional classrooms and classrooms that use in class video lectures to teach the class. These resources gave me first hand insight to the process of creating a flipped classroom.

When working towards a classroom flip, the teacher needs to understand the technology and use it well. Technology is becoming more and more important to classrooms every day. Students respond well to the tools that are used effectively and their levels of understanding show their educational growth. Through this project, I have learned many things that I will most certainly use in the future, but the most important take away that I got from this project is to try new things. Trying a new presentation, trying a new classroom model, or a new piece of technology can be a great experience. It is important to remember to try and reflect on what you did. This method is something that we need to follow and teach to our students to support their learning and our own learning.

Chapter 11 Glog

Check out the Glog created by Kait and I for Chapter 11.

Glogster.com

For my multimedia project, I did a video tutorial of the website glogster.com.

You can check out the screencast here.

Glogster.com is a virtual poster making website. The website provides teachers and students with a way to connect through the app or e mail to create and view posters where ever there is access to internet. The website can really launch a classroom into technology that is beyond a powerpoint.

Creating the video was fairly easy, but took a few takes to get it right. Trying to keep the video engaging, accurate, and not overwhelming was key for this project. I enjoyed the practice of making these videos. There is a good chance I will be using this skill in a classroom to explain how to use a website or program and not use valuable class time. Thinking about my education process, having access to a video tutorial from some teachers could have been extremely helpful, especially in some of my science classes.

I'm very excited to watch some of my classmates video tutorials. There were a lot of programs that I was interested in learning about. Being able to watch a video that explains the process of the website will be very helpful in my future endeavors as a teacher.

Socializing in a Virtual Environment

For class, we discussed if virtual classrooms are causing students to have low socialization skills. Here is what we thought

The members of group D  seemed to all agree on the fact that socialization is difficult to develop in online schools. It is important for students to have face to face conversations with teachers and peers. There are many benefits to online schools, but students miss out on some of the benefits from being in a classroom with students their own age. Students miss out on learning how to interact with people outside of their parents. This development can be supplemented through clubs, sport, and other activities that involve similar aged peers. This supplemental time would be very difficult to make up for the time spent in a traditional classroom.

Transformational Teaching

After viewing the webinar on the pedagogy wheel, I have mixed feelings. The presentation itself was not what I expected. I felt that I was missing a lot of the information because it was not in the form of a video that would have explained each slide and its relevance to the overall presentation. That being said, did find some good take aways from the presentation. The pedagogy wheel that Allan Carrington was talking about throughout the slides is a good way to support tech integration in the classroom.
The wheel focuses on 5 midset grids which can help students to understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. These grids on the wheel provides teachers with a combination of verbs, activities and apps that support each learning grid. Each mindset supports and develops another. These skills are ones that are used everyday. At the center of the wheel is immersive learning. Students need to be hands on and develop these skills properly to use them effectively.
Carrington describes  how to use the wheel most effectively in the webinar. He describes the process as a series of moving gears. There is the attributes gear that helps the teacher think about revisiting their methods and design to support the individual attributes of students. The motivation gear works towards autonomy, mastery, and purpose in student work. The teacher has to guide the students into independent work that is meaningful and understood in the process. The blooms gear focuses on Bloom's taxonomy that incorporates the levels of blooms taxonomy into the lesson to promote higher level thinking. The technology gear focuses on finding apps with a purpose rather than wasting time with apps that don't support student growth. Finally, The SAMR model develops the thinking behind the choice of an app. This forces teachers to think of the possibilities for the use of apps in the classroom in a functional and developmental manner.
Overall, this wheel, when used correctly, can support a lot of teachers that are struggling to find ways to integrate technology into the classroom. The wheel supports all of the tasks and learning that teachers need to cover throughout the year and supports those goals with app suggestions. The teachers are also provided with rating rubric for the apps that can be shared or used to determine what apps should be used in the classroom. Adding technology into the classroom, using flipped classrooms and effectively using apps can transform teaching in learning in the classroom.

Integrating Technology Across the Curriculum

After watching a video about technology integration from edutopia and browsing through the video lecture entitled "Integrating Technology Across the Curriculum" by Emma Clements, It is clear that technology is a huge part of schools and education. Technology has been able to build on traditional teaching methods and make real life connections for students. These connections make the learning a more authentic experience. In the high school in the video, the students are measuring the velocity of soccer balls and cheerleaders flying into the air. Probes and tools that calculate vitals are being used in science classes to test water samples and heart rate and other body factors for the cheerleaders. These data points are taken to see progress in health and fitness. The data is graphed in a math class. All of this information is used to improve student growth and learning.
In the lecture, the presenters are stressing the fact that technology is an integral part of the curriculum. There are many different ways to integrate technology across all content areas. It is important for students to understand technology because the world they live in demands it. Students are growing and learning skills that are essential to know for their future. Technology is challenging and driving students forward in their learning.
Technology has become an integral part of our lives and it will become more important for the lives of our students. Not only does it facilitate learning, but it allows for exploration that drives learning forward. Listening to books, using graphing calculators, utilizing probes to take more accurate data points, using assistive technology to support disabled learners and countless other uses of technology have developed new ways of thinking, learning, and developing skills for future development of knowledge.

Chapter 7 TAA Webquest

Using the guidelines I found on educationworld, I'm going to attempt to make my first webquest. Here we go!

Introduction:
Pretend you're living in prehistoric time, in the time of the dinosaurs. Wouldn't it be great to have one as a pet?! I'm sure you would love to ride on a Triceratops or take your Tyrannosaurus Rex for a walk. How about flying on a Pterodactyl?  You are going to have the chance to learn about these animals and write a persuasive piece to ask your parents if you could have your very own dinosaur!

Process:
First you are going to pick a dinosaur that you would love to have as a pet.

Triceratops

Tyrannosaurus Rex

Pterodactyl 

Using these websites, find 3 facts about the dinosaur that would make it a cool pet! What does the dinosaur eat? How big is the dinosaur? How much does it weigh?
When you are writing your piece and then presenting it to the class, make sure you add details that would convince someone to get the dinosaur as a pet!

Following a webquest would be a fun activity for students. They are able to incorporate research skills and technology into one project. There are many other activities and standards that can be incorporated such as writing, math, and reading skills to name a few. Creating this webquest was harder than it seemed. I found many templates and ideas, but I have never created or participated in a webquest, so this was a new experience for me. I think with some practice, I will be able to find and create better webquests to use in my classroom

Chapter 7 Technology Integration Workshop

Chapter 7 focused on distance learning and web based learning activities. Online learning has become more popular and teachers use the technology in classrooms. Teachers can use podcasts and video casts to take learning to the next level. This can include learning at home and discussing in a classroom, like in a flipped classroom, or in a blended environment that has a mix of online and in class learning. Many lessons and topics can be supported by online learning and can give students a new experience in the classroom.

Part 1- Evaluating and Creating Lesson Plans

Web based lessons
This webpage provides online lessons and lesson plans for teachers. The students can explore the web page as a basic web based lesson. For more information on creating a web based lesson, check out edutopia

Podcast based lesson

This readwritethink lesson plan integrates podcasts into an ELA lesson to integrate different modalities into persuasive writing.

Flipped classroom lesson

This PBS learning lesson integrates a flipped classroom and engineering and design lessons.

Some tips on flipped classrooms can be found on edutopia

For my lesson, I could use a podcast based on a guided reading book to incorporate new ideas and comprehension into group discussions.

The students would listen to either a teacher created or teacher recommended podcast in guided reading groups. This podcast would discuss the events in the story and prompt questions for the students to think about. The podcast would serve as a review for the reading and support higher level thinking within the group. The students could then create their own podcast in response to what they heard. This podcast would serve as the assessment for the lesson to ensure that students are discussing and comprehending the readings.

Part 2- Implementing the TIP Model

The technology would first give students ideas and a platform to base their group discussions on. They would be required to answer questions and incorporate ideas from the book in their discussion. The podcast that is being created would be a record of their meeting for teacher assessment and could serve as a reminder for the students when referring back in the text for future discussions. To carry out this lesson, the teacher could make the podcast and use a recording device on an iPad, tablet, computer, or even a voice recorder to document the student's conversation.

Students will discuss and communicate their ideas and responses based on their reading and listening to the teacher provided podcast. The students will verbally answer questions based on the material they read in reading groups. The assessment of the goals will be in the student recorded podcast. The teacher could grade each meeting based on a rubric. The podcasts would best be used during reading groups when the classroom is fairly quiet. This would provide a good environment for students to record. They could also record their discussion in the computer lab if it is quieter.

The rubric based assessment could give the teacher a good idea if these discussions are productive. A written assessment to test comprehension or a comprehension conversation with the teacher can show how much the students are benefiting from peer discussions. These evaluations can give the teacher an idea of what is working and if there needs to be more teacher guidance in the discussions.

Grade level: 4-12

Content area: ELA

Topic: Literature/ reading groups

Technology: Podcasts

ISTE Standards: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Chapter 8

There are many different models of online learning. There is a noninteractive model, where the students do not interact with an instructor and must complete assignments and tests completely online.There is an interactive, asynchronous model where students can meet with and interact with the instructor and other students through a learning management system. Another model is an interactive model with synchronous events that includes real time class meetings online. One last model is a MOOC model ( Massive Open Online Course) where anyone in the world can register for the class. Each of thee models serves its own purpose depending on the needs of the learner. Online classes can be used for learning that leads to a required certification, college credits or for the purpose of learning something new.
The online courses need to be managed by a system to ensure that they run smoothly. This will be important to provide a place to save assignments, have discussions, and ensure that there wont be any technological glitches that interfere with learning.With online classes, academic honesty becomes a large concern.  The best way to combat these concerns is to set up an online honor code, and provide students with information about what plagiarism is and how how to avoid it. Providing links to helpful websites to cite information can be a good plagiarism deterrent.
The development of the class needs to be done correctly as to provide students with easy navigation of the course. Too many tabs and hidden links can hinder student performance. The students need to be able to find the information and complete activities to demonstrate understanding. The learning process can be facilitated through 'virtual office hours' for the instructor and having a forum where the students can discuss the class, questions they may have, and the material. The communication between students becomes an important factor in learning. In a traditional classroom, there is always discussion. In online classes, this can be difficult because students work at different times. A forum that can have a running conversation over time can support this discussion that supports learning.
To avoid confusion, assignments need to be explained thoroughly so students can complete all aspects of each assignment. This includes rubrics, roles in group assignments, and monitoring group discussions to ensure they are on the right track for the assignment,
Virtual k-12 schools have become more popular as an alternative to elementary school. The teachers of these schools are certified teachers and the curriculum is aligned to state and local standards. These schools usually have less than half of the student gradate on time when compared to the national average. Many of these schools do not meet annual yearly progress and students struggle with social interaction skills.
One way to have learning become more interactive both online and in class can be through virtual reality. This can include virtual manipulatives, virtual field trips, and 3D models, to name a few. This technology can be helpful to show students large and hard to understand concepts, such as other countries, the universe, and events of the past.
Online courses and activities have become an integral part of learning. There are many different ways to integrate different technologies into classrooms to support learning at different levels.

Chapter 6 Technology Integration Workshop

Chapter 6 focused on online tools and their integration into the classroom. These tools include apps, blogs, videos, and wikis to name a few. These tool can be extremely helpful and make classroom life easier. Given the proper access to these tools, such as having a computer or tablet in the classroom, these tools can help enhance learning through new and innovative ways.

1.Blog based lesson
This lesson is an introduction to blogging and how students can use blogs as a tool in the classroom.

2.Facebook based lesson
In this lesson, the teacher used facebook profiles to recreate characters in literature. The profiles were created to match the personality of each character and interact with each other over social media.

3. Twitter based lesson
This teacher tweets clues about historical figures or events and the students have to guess the answer

For a lesson, the students could be assigned a country to "travel" to. During their travels, they have to blog about their experiences. These blogs could talk about topics such as the language, cuisine, traditions, landmarks, facts about the country, and pictures to accompany their posts. The students would be given a list of required blog posts to ensure each of the components of the culture was explained and a rubric outlining the expectations of each blog post and the overall presentation of the blog. During these posts, classmates will comment about what is similar and different from the country that each student traveled to. This lesson will incorporate social studies and technology in an interactive way and have students think about other cultures from a first hand experience.

Part 2- Implementing the TIP model

The advantage of using the technology is that there can be many components integrated into a working document. Adding pictures, video, commentary and conversation into a document that is constantly changing engages students in the lesson and promotes conversation. The students also gain a deeper understanding about a foreign culture. Blogging is a very personal form of work. The skills needed to blog are basic typing and design skills. The program is easy to use as long as the students have computers and internet access.

The objectives of the lesson are to create a blog explaining the culture of another country. Through the blog, the students will demonstrate their knowledge through a written document. Students will also demonstrate their word processing and conversation skills. The assessment will be based on the blog itself, looking at the design and content. The blog will be graded through a rubric based assessment. The learning environment could either be in the classroom or at home depending on the timeline for the project. The students could work independently during instructional time or free time in the classroom.

The evaluation of the blog will be based on a rubric. The students will also be given a google based survey outlining their experiences that will also be posted in their blog to share their experience and comment on their peers assessments. The teacher could then decide to continue the process of blogging or change the experience

Grade: 5-12
Content Area: Social studies
Topic: foreign countries
Technology used: Blog
ISTE standard: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

Chapter 6 TAA

1.Create a blog about a topic that could benefit from student discussion.
Here is my blog asking students to share their opinion about cell phones in school

2.Using a metacrawler search engine vs. Google.
For this part, I used Google and Dogpile to search for the topic of photosynthesis

The google results showed a definition and sample questions followed by a few youtube videos and links to websites explaining photosynthesis

Dogpile showed a few adds at the top of the screen followed by related questions and educational websites to look for information about photosynthesis.

I personally likes the quick definition and graphic on google, but also liked the education centered links on dogpile. There is a clear difference using the metacrawler. The websites are more carefully selected to have relevant information and save some time going through bad or uninformative links.

3. 5 apps to use in the classroom

Using the Scholastic suggested apps, I chose 5 apps that could be used in the classroom effectively.

Bluster is a good way to expose students to more vocabulary terms while turning learning into a game. This app, as stated, works on levels that allows learners of all levels to have equal access not new vocabulary at their own level.

Stack the states is a fun way to learn about the United States. This topic is one that students surprisingly know little about. It is important to know about the country you live in. This app shows many identifying features of each state to help improve general knowledge of each state.

For elementary grades, Fry's sight words are essential to identify. Knowing these words will improve reading skills and accuracy. These words can be integrated into the class room as challenge words, in a reading center or even as a game at the end of the day.

As much fun as mad libs are, students are practicing parts of speech and expanding their vocabulary listening and creating these funny stories. This activity can be used as a reward or as a reading center in small groups.

A math app that allows students to create their ow rocket is sure to be a hit! The skills that this app focuses on are some that may get pushed to the wayside, such as time and money. These skills are important to practice in addition to math facts and daily lessons.

Chapter 5 Technology Integration Workshop

Chapter 5 introduced several different tools that could be used in the classroom to support learning. These tools include data collection, test generators, organization software, reference programs and content area tools to name a few. These tools can be incorporated into several different lessons to make both the teacher's and student's life easier.

1. Digital storytelling lesson
This lesson guides students though the process of creating an original digital story

2. Concept mapping lesson

This lesson, provided by he Inspiration program shows step by step how to create a concept map using the software

3. Word cloud lesson

This lesson takes students through the steps to create a word cloud based on a teacher assigned topic.

For a lesson, a word cloud could be created as a way to summarize a reading passage. The students would be given a  passage to read and highlight frequently used words or words that are important to the reading. The students would then use the Wordle program to create a word cloud and share with the class. The students would read the words they chose and explain the reasoning behind their choice of words. This lesson will add an extra reinforcement component to the understanding of the reading.

Part 2- Implementing the TIP model

The technology is an alternative way of taking notes during a reading. The advantage of this program is that it is more engaging and gives the students an opportunity to express their ideas in a creative way. The resources needed are all web based. If the students have aces to a computer within he school, they are able to complete the activity.

The objectives of the activity are for the students to compile important words from a reading passage and create a word cloud using Wordle. The assessment for the activity will be the actual word cloud and the explanation of the words in the cloud. The presentation can be assessed through a rubric. The integration of content area software will support a deer understanding of the reading passage. The learning environment would be in a classroom that allows for individual work or group work depending on the teacher preference. It is essential that the students have access to internet in the room being used.

The students work and presentation would be used to assess the lesson. Th teacher could also ask students to fill out a survey or have a conversation with them to learn their opinion of the lesson. Based on the finished work and opinion of the class, the teacher can make revisions to the lesson.

Grade level: 4-7

Content area: Math/ Science/ Social Studies/ ELA

Technology used: Word cloud

ISTE standard: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

Chapter 5 TAA

Scribus Classroom Newsletter
This program was very confusing to navigate. I tried several times to change the font or color and could not figure out how to make these changes correctly each time. I also could not figure out how to upload a picture into the document. I would have felt more comfortable making this document in a word processing software.

Rubistar Rubric for drawing a flower. Content area: Science
This website was extremely easy to use. You pick the topic and reason for the rubric and the site fills in the rest. I will definitely be using this page again!

Inkscape Class logo.

This was also a very difficult program to use. I spent a lot of time to try to figure out how to move objects and create designs, but it was very difficult to navigate. On the program, the colors did not clash as much as they do in the provided picture. With more time to discover and investigate the program, I think that I would have more luck creating a more noteworthy logo. This program was easier to use than Scribus was.

Chapter 4 Technology Integration Workshop

Chapter four is an overview of  the "basic three" software programs. These three programs are word processing, spreadsheets, and presentation software. Most students are familiar with the Microsoft office suite and use it regularly to type a paper or make a power point presentation. Beyond the basics, these software programs can be very interactive and provide many opportunities for customization.

Part 1- Evaluating and creating lesson plans

Word processing lesson plan- How to change font, style,effect, formatting,adding bold and italics.

Spreadsheet software lesson- How to change cell format, fill, merge cells, and create formulas among many other skills in real life situations.

Presentation software lesson - How to add slides, change format, add graphics, add audio among other skills.

 For a lesson, students could have researched a topic based on a study unit in the classroom. The students would then have to create a news article that pretends to break exciting news in a newspaper article. The students would be required to have different fonts, colors, a title, pictures, and other eye catching elements in the article to gain a readers attention. The lesson would begin with a tutorial of how to change these elements on Microsoft word and the assessment would be to actually create the product. This lesson would span over a few days to ensure the students understand how to manipulate all of the elements of a word document.

Part 2- Implementing the TIP model.

For this lesson, the technology is at the center. the students could use paper, pencil and crayons to create a news article, but they are learning valuable tools in a word document that they will be using for years to come. These skills can not be understated for learners today. To carry out the lesson, most schools have access to a computer lab that has a word processing software pre-downloaded to use. If not, there are online based word processing programs to use in the lesson.

The objectives of the lessons would be for the students to accurate manipulate color, font size, style and the layout of a text. These objectives will be assessed through the completion of the news article created by the students, The skills of typing and using a word processing document will be assessed. The environment will be a computer lab setting that gives the students space to work independently.

Bases on the results of the assessment, the teacher will know what skills may need to be retaught to the students. If the assessment seems too simple, there could be more elements added into the assessment such as text boxes, bulleting, and formatting of the page.

Grade level: 3-7
Content area: Social studies/ Science/ ELA/ Math. Topic to be chosen by the teacher
Technology used: Word processing
ISTE Standard: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others.

Is Powerpoint Really Evil?

Within our group of four people for class, we debated the topic of power point presentations and if they are beneficial during lessons. Our group had the same consensus that power points are not bad if they are used correctly. It is not uncommon that a power point is presented in class and the presenter is just reading off the slides and not interacting with the audience. Power point can be very interactive if the presenter is willing to take the time to coordinate the slides, lecture, and graphics on each slide. Taking the time to consider all aspects of a presentation can contribute to an engaging and memorable presentation. 

Ultimately, if a power point is just reading off slides, it can seem evil. If a teacher learns the program and uses it correctly, the students will enjoy the presentation and learn at the same time.

Check out this video shared by Dr. Smirnova that humorously supports our argument

Digital Citizenship

Chapter 6 focused on digital citizenship and appropriate actions on the internet. This encompasses how to talk, who to talk to, and what to be aware of while surfing the web. In schools, this is becoming a new topic to discuss with students. More students are becoming digital citizens at younger ages. Students have access to computers in school, at home, and on their phones which provides for 24/7 access to the internet and everything on it.  In this video from chapter 6, there is a discussion about teaching students what to not use their devices for, how they could get in trouble using their devices, and how to avoid it.  Students need to be taught about cyberbullies, netiquette, and predators and what to do in those situations. Stressing the fact to not provide personal information, talking to people you don't know, and protecting your device from viruses and inappropriate material are skills that are very important to have.

There are many resources online for teachers that help make these discussions and lessons easy and meaningful. Edutopia created a "resource roundup" of videos and articles that discuss digital citizenship. Commonsensemedia.org also has lessons, videos and other resources for teachers.

These lessons are growing increasingly important given the amount of time students spend on the internet. Safety is paramount for these young minds and they needs to be taught these skills by a trusted adult rather than find out the hard way.

Word Cloud for Kids

Using the website abcya.com, I created a word cloud based on my subject area, Science.

The program was very easy to use. You were prompted to type whatever words you wanted based on your topic. Then, the program generated the wordcloud. You are able to customize the colors, font size, and placement of the words in the cloud. This program would be great to use as an activity to either introduce vocabulary or to check what vocabulary students remember from the unit.

Beyond the word cloud program, abcya.com is a fantastic site for students to use in the classroom. I use this website frequently in the district I work in. The students absolutely love the games and activities on the website. There are math games, word work, read aloud books, and keyboarding skills just to name a few. It is a great website to use as a reward or to develop skills in the classroom.

TLC questions Chapter 5

For chapter 5, we had to complete TLC questions 5.1 and 5.8.

I think that the TLC questions are a great way to self check how much you understood while reading the chapter. They make you think about real life situations that you would use the tools or skills discussed in the reading. I also liked the fact that we only had to do the first and last TLC question. These questions were a good choice because it helped review the beginning, usually the overview of the chapter, and a wrap up question at the end.

Chapter 5 Free Software Review

One of the free tools shown on page 143 in our textbook Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching is the puzzlemaker from discoveryeducation.com. This tool can create many different puzzles including word searches, math puzzles, cryptograms, and cross word puzzles among many others. This is a good tool to use when working on vocabulary, spelling, or math skills within a variety of content areas.

• Here is one example of a math number set puzzle that can be used to practice math skills and promote critical thinking.

 These puzzles can either introduce students to new vocabulary words at the beginning of a unit or as practice during or after a unit. The practice reinforces learning, promotes a working memory of the words,  and develops critical thinking skills. Puzzles are an activity that kids love to do, so why not give it a try in your classroom!

If you're looking for more information on puzzles, check out this link.

Chapter 4 video (pg 129)

The video in the textbook talked about the use of technology and how it supports vocalization in the classroom. The school believes that presentations and talking to the class is an important skill to learn. They make presentations using different software to enhance their overall presentation. It is important to use these programs and teach students how to use them to support learning, researching, and presenting skills in the classroom. The development of this set of skills is shown through better visuals and overall presentation of a project.

Chapter 3 Technology Integration Workshop

Chapter 3 focused on different types of software that could be used in the classroom. There are many strategies that can be used to support learning such as drill and practice, tutorials, simulations, instructional games, problem solving software, and Personalized Learning Systems (PLS). These software programs are to be used as supplemental work and not for direct instruction.

Part 1:  Evaluating and creating lesson plans

a. Simulation software
 This lesson did not use software, but used the same idea as software which requires students to plan farming and make money to support a family during a period in history. To support this lesson, there is also a website that shows what aspects of a lesson are important to include to have a successful simulation.

b.Instructional game software
 This website has a compilation of games, lessons and resources using game software.

c. Tutorial software
The use of Photo Story 3 is being discussed through a tutorial in this lesson

I would create a lesson using drill and practice software. The students could use this program to practice spelling words before a test at the end of the week after learning about the words during the week. The students would work at the program as a center during reading groups for about 15 minutes in pairs. They would hear the word on the computer and have to type the spelling of the word. The program could then check for the correct spelling of the work and correct the student if the spelling is wrong.

Part 2: Implementing the TIP model

a. The technologies give the students another opportunity and modality to reinforce learning in the classroom. These technologies need either a computer or some internet enabled device to use online programs in the class. If the class does not have these devices, the lessons could be carried out in the computer lab.

b. The objectives would be to practice the skills learned in the classroom. These programs are not intended to do the job of the teacher. There would still need to be teacher guidance during the lessons. The assessment of the lessons are usually done within the software through a score or calculation of errors. To ensure the best learning and focusing, the environment could be quiet for individual work. In group projects, the students should be spread out but each have a device to work on cooperatively.

c. The instructional program itself can usually evaluate the students score for the activity. It will also be important to hear the students' input about their evaluation of the software and its usefulness.

d. Grade levels:k-12
Content area: ELA/ Spelling
Technology used: Drill and practice
For use on spelling tests/ vocabulary terms
ISTE Standard:Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.

The Poor Scholar's Soliloquy

Here is the link to Group D's Powerpoint outlining the problems in the soliloquy and how constructivist thinking addresses them.

Chapter 3 pg 103 question #2

Here is the link to the google doc used in group D to discuss Question #2 in "Collaborate, Discuss, Reflect"

Chapter 2 Technology Integration Workshop

Chapter 2 focused on different strategies of teaching and their uses in education. Two of the most commonly discussed were directed integration, or teaching through a series of steps and memorization processes, or constructivist models, which focuses on learning through hands on experiences and outside of the classroom learning in addition to in class learning,

Part 1: Evaluating and creating lesson plans

a. Directed integration lesson
 This lesson focuses on categorizing animals based on size and habitat. The students are to listen while the teacher models and answer questions that have one correct answer.

b. Constructivist integration lesson
This lesson uses  documents to help students learn about life in medieval times. There is an adaptation to use a virtual diary to help  integrate technology into the lesson.

c. Technology Integration Strategies 
This edutopia web page shows many different techniques to use to help integrate technology into both directed and constructivist lessons.
 - The strategies don't show a lesson rather it shows ideas of how to integrate tech into lessons.

My own lesson topic could be about parts of a flower. The goal of this lesson would be for students to correctly identify parts of a flower. For the lesson, there could be a constructivist instruction component to develop vocabulary as a group based on a picture, vocabulary terms, and teacher guidance.There can also be an online game to assess the knowledge of the vocabulary.

Part 2-
a. Adding technology to the lesson will reinforce learning through a drill and check method. Using this technique will help understanding, memorization, and assessment of skills learned. The resources needed are a device with access to the internet. The game's directions are described on the website.

b.The goal of the lesson is to have the students identify the parts of a flower. The game will serve as the assessment for the lesson. The game shows the number of attempts and incorrect guesses to give the teacher an idea of how well the lesson was understood by the students.The students could work in groups or individually to complete the constructivist lesson and assessment.

c.The lesson can be revised based on the scores achieved on the assessment. There could also be a survey for the students to see if they liked or disliked the integration of the game in the lesson as a learning activity or assessment.

d. Grade levels 2-5
Content area: Science
Topic: Parts of a flower
Technologies used: Online game
ISTE standard: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals.

Chapter 2 TAA

Objectivist theory is focused on answering questions one way. They believe there is one wright answer, one way to solve the problem and that there should not be a stray from the procedure to solve a problem. Constructivist theory focuses on learning through many different facets of a child's life children should be free to explore and learn through their experiences and interactions with people and the environment.

1.For the content area of Science, the topic for the lessons will be parts of a plant.  With an objectivist theory, the lesson could focus on memorizing the parts of a plant with their definition. In a constructivist lesson, the students could have the opportunity to observe a plant and create their own definitions for the plant parts based on the plan they observe.The teaching and learning would be different for the lessons. The goals of learning the part of the plant are the same, but the approaches are different. One way to memorize definitions is less engaging and its possible students wont remember the lesson. Making observations and personalized definitions will likely be received better by the students and they will own the definitions as their own knowledge.

2.Substitution: Using a probe as a thermometer to measure heat instead of a low tech thermometer.
Augmentation: Using a data collection software to monitor the change in temperature in a chemical reaction over time rather than use a thermometer at calculated time intervals.
Modification: Working on software that calculates the chemical differences in a reaction ex. heat, composition of substances, amount of products made.
Redefinition: A programmed machine to create and recreate the chemical reaction for precision.

These activities involve the same problem to b solved, but the addition of more advanced technology allows the problem to me more calculated and can be adjusted to produce different answers. and therefore develop a greater understanding of the question.

Technology Application Activity Chapter 1

In chapter 1, we read about a Tech-PACK or a TPACK. A TPACK is a program used by teachers that collects data to measure growth in how effectively a teacher can integrate technology into the classroom. This growth measurement shows if a teacher is truly using the technology to teach, or that technology is used ineffectively or not at all. Technology is a very important component to teaching. There are many benefits from the integration of technology from learning to reviewing and reinforcing.

TPACK is measuring a blend of different levels of education.  As shown in the image above, it is truly a three ring circus to combine all of these elements into one powerful element of teaching.

One of the most common ways to measure growth is through a portfolio. The basis of a portfolio is to combine works done over time to show growth in knowledge of an area. E-portfolios are a very common and simple way to combine all types of educational technology.

E-portfilios are fairly aligned with the TPAC integration rubric as shown above.  These portfolios can show lessons, reinforcement tools, and activities that can show progress in these areas.  Through the e-portfolio, a teacher can combine materials as well as lesson plans to explicitly state the elements of alignment with curriculum goals. Not only can this growth be shown in text from through the integration of other standards, a video can be added to show these goals displayed in action. The way technology fits into the lesson can be through an embedded link to the activity or program and through audio feedback from lessons and student interactions with the technology.

My e-portfolio for my class will be able to show growth through the development and use of technological software for presentations and projects. Using new software and building on previously learned skills can be shown through the complexity and flow of the presentation. I will also be able to demonstrate the growth of my technological knowledge through this blog. I will be commenting, sharing my thoughts and thinking to the future about things I can use and skills I can develop. As the blog proceeds to grow, I will demonstrate knowledge growth through deeper reflections and conversations .

Chapter 1:Educational Technology In Context

Technology in classrooms is a new, confusing, overwhelming, incredible, and educational idea. Technology serves many purposes in classrooms from data collection to drill and practice to gaining prior knowledge through videos and interactive experiences. As an introduction to the book and the idea of technology in the classroom, this video sheds some light on the benefits and uses of technology in the class.

Technology allows students to grow, learn, develop ideas, be part of a community of learners, and learn about themselves in the process. Technology goes beyond using a SMART board or a projector in the classroom. Students are immersed in technology and they have so many opportunities to discover and learn everyday.

Chapter one is one step into the world of educational technology. The book describes  technology in education as  a combination of process and tools. There is a process of learning the technology and then using it for its educational purpose. We are lucky to be living in a world that students and teachers are familiar with and use technology on a fairly regular basis.There are many different tools that we have access to that help us learn. Mobile devices, laptops, iPads, and cloud storage are just a few of the tools that are commonly used. Although there are risks and legal issues that may arise, majority of technological work is safe and promotes growth. We even have programs that track growth and provide tips and tools for teachers to support learning.

As incredible as this technology is, we have to remember that technology can't teach as well as a teacher can. Technology should be used to support learning and growth, not provide instruction. Technology is a tool that supports and reinforces learning and provides play to students.

I thought this video was very interesting and wanted to share it. In my class, Teaching With Technology, Dr. Smirnova shared this video. I found it eye opening and amazing that technology has become such an integral part of our lives and will continue to make strides for better, faster, more advanced technology that will support learning at any age.

Happy Teching!