Week 6 Blog.

Paragraph 1: Personal Digital Assistants

What are Personal Digital Assistants?

According to Wikipedia a personal digital assistant (PDA), also known as a palmtop computer, or personal data assistant, is a mobile device that functions as a personal information manager. Current PDAs often have the ability to connect to the Internets.

 How do you use them in classrooms?

                PDA’s would be used in the class room similar to what computer would be used like. The difference would that everybody would have to have one. There are more than enough of new “tablets, I-pads, kindles and other PDA’s coming out for districts to use. Kindles would be the main tablet being used; this is a notebook with downloadable textbooks that can be used.  Since these devices have the internet students would be able to access numerous amounts of information as directed by the teacher. Teachers would have an easier time contributing to lesson plans since the technology is convenient in nature.

Paragraph 2: Online Surveys

Why do we use online survey tools?

Online survey tools help the distributor of the survey get a massive feedback from the general public. These surveys are quick and efficient in understanding how the public thinks about the information or product being displayed in the survey.

How does it help us in our classrooms?

These are great tools to allow the students to do teacher overviews of how the teacher taught the class. Another good reason is to see what the students think about how the school is being managed and what changes in their opinions can the school make to enhance the students’ experience at the school.

What are 2 good rules for writing good surveys in your opinion?

The first rule would be for the writer to ask core wrenching questions to stimulate honesty from the audience. Secondly, I feel that questions should be dispersed with low quantity. The audience does not need to be overwhelmed with information.

Paragraph 3: Conclusion

There is a great change that can take place with Personal Digital Assistants in the classroom that is inevitable. The future is calling for real time assistance in each and every student’s educational experience; and technology is leaping of the shelves to fill the void of interest for students who need to have information in class at their disposal.

References:

Jonassen, D., Howland, J., Mara, R. M., & Crismond, D. (2008). Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education. Print.

Blog 3

According to the website:

I felt that this tool can be used in a way that would speed most of the curriculum time; to allow more opportunity to respond to feedback and classroom discussion. The discussions would be about what they actually learned in the website.  I would suggest that the discussion be separate from the computer, so that the student can now visualize how they can attach what they have learned to a real-life scenario given by the teacher.

According to the website and the textbook, answer the following questions:

What type of writing activities would make the best use of technology in your classroom? Writing is an activity that benefits from multiple revisions and high-quality feedback. Recognizing that your teaching time is limited, how can you have students help each other during writing? How can you use technology tools to support peer feedback?

The first activity that comes to mind is brainstorming. For example, students would be given a topic to solve out. But there is only one suggestion to the topic from each student so that not just one student could make the most suggestions to the solving of that problem. After the narrowing down of the search given by the teacher, then students would come back and give another account to what they now have left to solve. This would allow for the students to converse on the best ideas for getting the problem solved.  With time left in the session, the students now can self govern the final pick to one.

Recall the first time you had to teach a new topic or skill. How well did you know the topic before you taught it? Did you know it better after you taught it?

In the summer of 2009, I taught high school kids the fundamentals of track and field form-running. I knew this topic very well, I have been running track all of my life and felt the need to pass the information I had gained down. I still felt I knew it better before I taught it then after.

Paragraph 3: Conclusion

Technology is surpassing our old ways of life as a society and the national educational system should be in total agreement with the trends of the world. I am completely for the transition from paper to typing as a means of reaching students to learn. This inevitable transformation needs to be put in full effect for our students to be reached.

References.

http://www.inspiration.com/webspirationclassroom
http://www.inspiration.com/videos/Inspiration
Jonassen, David H., and David H. Jonassen. Meaningful Learning with Technology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Merrill Prentice Hall, 2008