Blog Post #8

The Sports Psych Lab is very interesting because there are many technologies beneficial for all types of people. For example, if you are a new teacher or veteran teacher looking to see how to improve your teaching, the cameras installed in that room are great because they detect motion and move as you teach. It will demonstrate how you manage your classroom and will allow you to improve on classroom management.

I might use PowerPoint to support student learning in for example a math lesson to improve learning with Bloom's Taxonomy. The first level of the pyramid is remember, I could have a slide with a rhyme or song to help my students remember the concept. I can use second level - understand by explaining the concept a different way than the first time with an example. I can use apply to allow the students to use the concept in a problem. I can use analyze to allow the students to see how their answer was correct or incorrect. If their answer was incorrect I would have them evaluate the steps that went wrong by displaying the steps on a slide. For the last slide, I would allow my students to create their own problem using the concept while I display instructions on the slide.


http://www.edtechmagazine.com/higher/

Blog post #7

Assistive technologies are technologies that emphasize and challenge a child's strengths not weaknesses. It helps a child work around their weaknesses. They enhance and allow the child to use technology in an easier way. Some examples are an alternate keyboard or apps like Duolingo for ELL. I do not know anyone who has used these apps but malfunctions are challenges to adaptive technologies. Also you must be adept before allowing your students to use it in the case of incorrect use.


I learned how to make graphics as well as organizing a website using CRAP elements. I liked how user friendly Weebly was. I did not like how we were limited in themes for the website. I also didn't like how you can only change the font size using (+) (-) symbols. I can improve it next time by using more graphics and changing the font at the same time since the symbols make it hard for all to be the same size. I can use a similar website in my future classroom to keep parents and students updated and informed all types of information. I will also be able to connect more efficiently with my students.

From Diigo, I learned how to annotate online. I also learned how to take notes, tag, and bookmark pages. This application can be useful if I teach upper elementary and higher grades to introduce annotation using technology. I can create a forum discussion with my students about different topics or what they have read. It can be useful with team members and individually for professional development. We can share articles and discuss about new advancements or philosophies in teaching.

Blog Post #6

I visited Mrs. Miguelez's 4th grade class page. She is a teacher at Pinecrest Academy South Campus in Miami, FL. She is currently teaching 4th grade reading. She publicly has her biography, a brief introduction, and important dates to remember. She also has links for resources, her wishlist, and her email.

I can use technology to accomplish my professional responsibilities in many different ways. I can create a class website to keep both parents and students informed about classroom news. I can use interactive whiteboards to engage the way I teach and create greater effective lesson plans for my students. I can also use software on my computer to accomplish my responsibilities effectively.

A Promethean Board is useful in all grade levels. Specifically, I am majoring in Elementary Education and in a primary classroom it is used as a resource for teachers and students. Teachers can use it to enhance their lesson plans and create interactive activities. A teacher can also project a storybook while doing circle time. This way the storybook can be seen by all students. A teacher can also use it to project different activities for their students.

ILP “Design” – Glogster

Glogster is a tool where educators and students can share visual multimedia posters online. It is an innovative platform that changes the way projects are completed and shared. I created a Glogster about our beautiful Tallahassee community. I have shared my project with a brief description, few pictures, and Florida State introduction video.

Follow the link to view my multimedia Glogster.

http://dvv155803e50f1db04.edu.glogster.com/the-world-around-us

Blog Post #5

I think Web 2.0 tools such as Twitter, Blogger, and Storybird are some that are useful. The non-useful ones I think are platforms such as Skype and Podcasts. Skype is not useful unless you are video chatting as a virtual field trip with someone like an astronaut. Podcasts are a dying art in my opinion, individuals prefer videos over audio recordings.

Storia is an interesting web tool because it is an extensive e-book library. When reading to a class of 20 small children, they are easily distracted when reading from a small story book. Storia allows you to project it in your classroom. It is also a good tool for small groups as well as individual support.

https://www.storiaschool.com/#/students/login

I believe cloud sharing and storing would be the biggest promise to education. Many times educators fret when their documents aren't stored properly. After correctly learning how to use the cloud, teachers can store documents and share with their students. Students and parents can then access documents at their own comfort. This will allow for faster document sharing and storing. Also, you may then access documents anywhere you have access to internet.

Blog Post #4

Twitter has been an interesting experience thus far. I have my own personal twitter but rarely will tweet. Even having this as an assignment for class demonstrated that I have difficulties maintaining avid readers since I often forget to tweet. I followed Elementary Education teacher accounts as well as Edtech and other educational publications. Following these accounts is beneficial to gain ideas and insight on my future career path.

The digital divide shows how some individuals may not have access to technology or older generations do not know how to properly use it. It also claims that older generations may not understand how to use software creatively or successfully. This might mend student success because many of these softwares are useful to enhance a student's learning experience. For example, software such as Activ Inspire, Microsoft Programs, Adobe, etc. are all useful in a classroom but not everyone is equipped to teach with them or about them or may me socioeconomically challenged.

When evaluating websites you should always keep in mind of the currency, authority, accuracy, and objectivity. Many websites have their recently updated date on the bottom showing the currency of the information. If links do not work that shows that a website is not current. The more disclosure and information given to the reader is better. For authority is the information of who writes the things on the site such as a contact page, the domain, or the credentials listed. Referencing where they receive their information is a good way to see if it is accurate or not. Also when evaluating websites, one must see the objectivity. This is all important to make sure you are receiving the right information when searching the internet.