Week 13

- When and how do teachers act as designers?

Teachers act as designers every day. Although the construction of their classroom falls under a curriculum, ultimately teachers still have the power to control how they set up and implement the schedule of and course of the classroom. How creative the teacher is when he or she is giving instruction is completely up to them in transferring the intensity of the course and its material.

- Select one of the followings and explain what it is and how it can be used in classroom:

SketchUp:

This is a digital experience that allows the students to construct their own buildings and town. The students are capable of pin-pointing design of the buildings in great detail. This can be used in the classroom to open up creativity so that the student will be able to learn zoning of towns; just how their own cities are zoned on a bigger scale.

- Explain "Digital Storytelling by Kate Kemker."

This is a software program that allows the student create a story and bring it life with a digital camera and edit machine that goes along with it. The edit application of the software is key in the children’s imagination and intensity of the story.

What do you think it would work in your classroom?

Well, all though I will spend most of my time outdoors or in a gymnasium I still think the students are in great shape to use this tool. The students could write their own work outs and follow the edit machine into presenting their own creation to the actual movements that have been created.

- Mathematics is one of the most abstract subject-matter domains. Helping students to visualize mathematical concepts is very useful in helping students make math real. What other methods suggested in the textbook will also help make math more real to students?

Math lab is a very notable tool that can be used to help students take the work with them if they have computer to use. This software is actually used here at Texas A&M University – Commerce in the math departments. This offers online tutorials and plenty of practice that students can use if they want to exceed the norm of performance.

- Is it possible to learn from TV alone?--that is, learn how to do something merely from watching TV instruction? 

Of course; people do this all the time. The field that I planned to work in does this with video instructions and participation. The big trend is P90X and other visual aids that enhance the experience of the convenience of at home work out produced by the TV. This area of participation will grow with a doubt; seeing how most people don’t like to leave home and go to gyms but instead want stay home and rest in their comfortable domicile.

References:

Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassens, D., Marra, R. M. (2008).  Meaningful learning with technology. Columbus: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall

Week 12 Blogg

Explore "http://voicethread.com/"  and tell me how you feel about it?

This was an interesting site. I didn’t understand the material at first, but come to find out this was a site to that has the potential to help students and individuals with learning disabilities. I was impressed that these individuals would take the time to create the website to enhance the communication for people for informational purposes. Although this process cost to have and partake in if feel that this would be very beneficial to applicants of all statuses.  I really like the how they have broken down the sections of statuses of intent on how the clients plan to use such as Business, Pro, Higher Ed, k-12.

Would you use it for your lesson plan?

This would be a tool that I could use for our lesson plans. The students could use this as an interpersonal intelligence. A teacher could have each student record how they felt about assignments that other students participated in peer teaching.  The tool would serve as a feedback instrument that can allow students to express how they fell about the assignments with set questions already in place for answering.

Would you use it in the real classroom?

I would use in this classroom to open up the ideas that need to flow through the students minds to allow for creativity. The students need a platform outside of the norm to use for creative logic and reasoning to engage public speaking in regards to posting self-reflecting assignment at the end of every week. I know that is just an example, but allowing the children to consistently self-reflect would give the student something to look forward to at the end of the week without disrupting the flow of the curriculum.

Conclusion

Overall I feel that this site was reasonable in helping the teacher keep the classroom setting interesting and exciting for the student’s imagination. Letting students use video messages to communicate inner expression in various ways will be implemented into teacher’s curriculums soon. How soon is up to the consideration of administrations and boards that are in review for budgeting as we speak.

References

Website References
http://voicethread.com/ 

Week 11

      

Gee's principle of probing (p. 54) states that learning is a cycle of probing the world (doing something) and reflecting in and on this action and forming a hypothesis. Select 3 principles you think it would be important for education.

·         Identity Principle

This principle is students playing different roles using technology. This is a simple task that would pull form the students creative abilities and put them to further use. It is already incorporated in gaming systems. Most video games allow for children to create avatars in the image they want them to form in. For example, teachers could use the “Sims” software and allow each student to pick a career for career day.

·         Practice Principle

This states that the student will learn best when they are spending most of their time on the task. I totally agree. This the fundamental format for digesting information. The longer one spends on a task the better they will get as time goes on.

·         Multimodal Principle

This principle states that students can learn from cues, signs,that mean different things. For example, the teacher gains the attention of a class by raising her hand. This is an obvious way that the students know when focus and come to a silent halt.

If you were creating a simulation for your class, what activity would you support?

I would absolutely support the identity principle. Children need and want to create on various different levels. This is truly an extension of their inner expression, without getting into any trouble for doing so.

What variables could students manipulate?

Students could manipulate how they enter the workforce. If a student picked to be a fireman in the simulation then he could also pick if he wanted to be the chief of the house or if he wanted to be a regular worker. I feel the level of responsibility is a key factor for the children’s experience in the field they are taking part in for that simulation.

How would they affect each other?

The student would then experience what it would be like to congregate amongst peer of different business classes. In the simulation the students would then interact with each other and allow them to be aware of the atmosphere that comes with participating in the work force.

Conclusion

In conclusion I feel that simulation in the classroom is important to all that involved. In the military that have their men participate in several flight simulations using technology. That is saying a lot that the technology has not leaked down far enough to the classroom. I feel that it is time to afford for the school system to move into the technology age and get out of the dark ages.

References

Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassens, D., Marra, R. M. (2008).  Meaningful learning with technology. Columbus: Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall

Week 7 Blog

Paragraph 1

What types of writing activities would you make the best use of technology in your classrooms?

I would be inclined to use an interactive writing activity. I am a physical education major and know and understand the importance in involving the students in the actual assignment. For example, if the student can find his /her way to understand the task enough to teach it then the student will more than likely carry this information with them. I would have them write out a 2min coaching assignment and then teach it to one of their peers.

Paragraph 2:

 We are creating PowerPoint this week, how would you Not let PowerPoint presentation distract your audience?

It has to stay applicable to the topic that we are on. To stray away from the topic can be easy to do and mislead the audience of what is really being taught. Another way is to keep sound bites and video clips low and to a minimum. Although these are great avenues of interest, they also provide the opportunity for distraction.  

 Do you think you can follow the potential pitfalls from the textbook?

Yes it’s a matter of staying alert and aware of the time being issued. Technology has its way of losing individuals in the spirit of the newness of the application and ability to use the equipment in the classroom. Time management is so crucial to the allowance of new devices in the classroom.  And these slide presentations can be that distraction. But overall I find that this would be easy to follow.

Paragraph 3: Conclusion

Power points in the classroom have always been interesting to me as child. I felt like this was a different, efficient way of teaching the class. It allowed the class as whole a break from the routine and is subject to good response from all ages of audiences; and feel that this is a great tool for covering mass amounts of information.

 References

JONASSEN, DAVID, HOWLAND, JANE, MARRA, ROSE M, & CRISMOND, DAVID. (1999). Meaningful learning with technology 3rd edition . New Jersy,New York: Pearson.

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

What do you think about using blogs?

I have never used blogs before. This seems the same as other web entities. They should have a website that combines all of these subsections together to save alot of time and effort from the public. I will say that this does give us as the public alot to talk about at any given moment about any given thing. This might help students escape from the average daily routine of just sitting in class. If the teacher gives a discussion about a centain topic out of a book, they would be more inclined to want to participate. I would most certainly like to see this and would not mind allowing the students I would teach to respond to the assignment I have given them.  It seems that class participation and response would be the main point to this technology. The students should open up and be much more attenitive to the actual curriculum that was being enforced from that day, causing the curriculum to still remain as it was given without change.