End-of-Term Reflection

1. Have you opinions about technology integration in education changed since the beginning of the term? Why or why not?
   My opinions about technology integrated into the classroom have certainly changed. I guess I had always thought that technology was used more so to hold students interest in whatever subject was being taught but now I understand it's importance on multiple levels. Aside from retaining interest of students, technology is a way to give our students a higher education. Because the majority of future jobs appear to be based around technology, it is important to give our students early practice with state of the art technology and materials. Technology in the class can also reflect how the school feels about the student. If schools continue to provide inadequate technological materials to students it will send a message to the students that they are not good enough to use those types of materials. Most of this information I learned through course videos and articles.

2. Identify one or more programs/web apps introduced this term you believe you'll use in your future classroom. Why will you use these programs/apps?
   I feel that I will use the program Wikispaces in the future. It is an easy to use site which allows the teacher to set up a web page with links, perfect as a home page for a class project. Wikispaces is also a great way to get students designing pages within the website. This site brings student and teacher collaboration together as they all work on these Wikipages. Another program I would use in the classroom is Prezi. A Prezi slide show  is also easy and fun to construct. This slide show utilized a zoom effect which helps "pull" students into the presentation. It is easier to learn how to use than power point (in my opinion) and would be a great class project to have students create their own Prezi and presenting it. Print Page in IE

Students Using Technology

Print Page in IE

StoryJumper Assignment

History of Hawaii Print Page in IE

Print Page in IE

Integrating Web Sites into the Classroom

Art History Resources on the Web

 This site provides a plethora of information on art history in diverse cultures and cover a wide time range of over 2000 years. The site seems to be aimed towards college or high school students interested in art history research. Students can learn about cultures from all over the world at different periods in time as well as look at examples of art in that period.
 The site has so many links that it can be a bit overwhelming and it is easy to get lost. Once you get used to clicking around it gets easier to navagate to where you are trying to go. The organization of the site is also a bit questionable. After you choose which culture/country you would like to research it brings you to a list of famous places in that country rather than organized by time periods which might be more useful.

- This site could be used in the classroom to learn about specific cultures art throughout history. This site could also be used in the classroom by the teacher to show students examples of art throughout history. The site seems to be most useful for History and Art classes.

- This site could be used for people who are simply interested in art, history or even traveling. You might want to research a culture you are about to visit and find it interesting to see how the art of the culture has changed over time. Print Page in IE

Wikispaces assignment

EDST 220 Wikispaces Print Page in IE

My Favorite PBL Project

  My Favorite Project-based learning project is the "Design a state-of-the-art high school". The web site gives directions in the process of student groups who collaborate to create a high school that fulfills the needs of students in the year 2050. I enjoyed this project the most because it required the use of many different subjects. Math was important to use in the budget and geometric design of the blue prints, critical thinking was involved to decide the necessities of future students, and students would practice their speech and presentation skills when their project was displayed.
  By using multiple intelligences this PBL assignment provokes critical thinking skills such as the application of previous knowledge to create something new, using analysis to improve the design, and synthesizing different ideas to collaborate on the project.
  I think it's great that at the bottom of the instructions for designing a school includes a forum with feedback from other observers. It is nice to see what other peoples experiences were after trying this project. The only problem is that there wasn't a forum post giving critical feedback. It would be nice to have the authors notes at the end to give examples of problems that happen along the way of the project. Other than that the project site is great! Print Page in IE

Assignment: Reading Response 2

Quality telecollaborative projects can develop students critical thinking skills which help them learn skills for the future. Working on an assignment with a group forces each group member to contribute something from their skill set. Because each member in the group has different skills and different personalities, working in a group makes each member collaborate their skills to create a final product unique to the group.

            Critical thinking is required for a group to work together through a telecollaborative project. As each group member identifies their personal strengths as well as the strengths of the other group members each member must decide how they will work best with the rest of the group. According to the excerpt from the Penn St. teacher II; More often then not conflict will commence while a group is working together, this can strengthen critical thinking because it requires the members to solve the problem while figuring out how to prevent similar problems in the future.

            "Blooms Taxonomy of the Cognitive Domain" Explains the process of critical thinking from knowledge to synthesis and evaluation. Knowing something is simply the first stem to critical thinking. Each member in a group knows something they can bring to the table but it is the process of understanding, applying and synthesizing that knowledge which brings about critical thinking.

Print Page in IE

Dabbleboard

Dabbleboard Print Page in IE

Newsletter Assignment

 Newsletter Print Page in IE

Neat Chat Assignment Print Page in IE

Assignment: Reading Response 1

1) Tech Past
        I have a little experience using computers through my public school years. When I was in 3rd grade I used computers in the library to search for available books on the library browser. In middle school I took a class to help my typing with computers. I also learned how to create a web site in html but I really don't remember any of that. In high school I used a computer for most of my written assignments and to do research on the internet.
        The most I learned about computers through my K-12 grade experience involved writing papers, browsing the internet, and making sure my sources were reliable when doing research.

2) Tech Present
        I hope that I can use technology in the classroom to help students better understand the materials I am teaching. I know that I can create power points to help students focus on what is being taught and I hope it can also entertain them at the same time. Technology is important to use in the classroom because it helps hold students attention and interest in what is being taught.
        I plan to teach somewhere from 3rd - 5th grade. I hope that I can have students playing educational video games that help them be in control and learn first hand from their experience. I would like them to be able to use computers to find books in the library and learn basics about internet browsing. More importantly, I would like to teach the students about internet safety and cyber bullying.

3) Tech Future
        I believe I will run into a lot of difficulties when it comes to using technology in the classroom. I feel that I am already behind the basic skills of what teachers should know when it comes to using technology in the classroom. Sure I can set up a TV and DVD player, but when it comes to creating blogs like most teachers use for blackboard I feel a bit inapt. I suppose that is why I am taking this class and I hope it will help.
          Another difficulty I feel I will run into is being able to keep up with future technology. As the students I teach grow up with new advancements in technology I will be catching up and feel that I may end up knowing less than my students. In any case, I believe I will run into a lot of difficulties with the hopes that I can learn quick and keep on moving forward. Print Page in IE

Resources

Technology Use Survey Print Page in IE

Avatars in Education

Avatars are usually the first thing seen in a blog. It can be used to represent the person who wrote the blog. Avatars can enhance communication because they lead the reader in the direction the blogger wants them to go. Print Page in IE