Final reflection

I learned a lot of information regarding using computers in today's classroom. I thought I was pretty good at using computers and knew all I had too. To my surprise I was so behind! After taking this class, I am aware of the many usage computers can add to a classroom. The Smartboard is just one aspect. Now I know about blogs, personal websites, Wiki and so many more. I feel I will use blogs and maybe personal websites in my future classroom. Technology is a huge part in most people's lives, so it is important to bring it into the classroom, considering those students are our future!

Final Wiki Post

My WIKI I must say is pretty cool. I decided to do it on the fifty states for a fifth grade class. I remember learning about the fifty states and it would have been nice if my teacher had done a WIKI or something like that to help us learn the needed information. My WIKI only had one link because within the link was another link and there was beyond enough information for students to use to find out about their states. I used very colorful designs. I feel students learn the best when it is colorful because it grasps their attentions. The directions and what was needed from the students was presented quite clearly. So teachers or students should have no problem using my WIKI.

Final personal website

After I completed my personal website, I was very pleased to see how it turned out. At first I was a bit nervous that it would not be good, but to my surprise I like how it looks a lot! I added all that was needed and added my own personal touch as well. The pictures in my website made it more alive and fun! I had general and special education websites, so that teachers would benefit from both because in most general ed classes there will be children with special needs. Overall my personal website is awesome in my opinion.
At first I did not think I would use this website for my future classroom, yet as I finished mine, I realized I think I will. I am not sure how I would go about using it, but I would like to have my students in upper elementary use it to express their feelings about my teaching and assignments. This way a shy child could express what he or she was feeling and wouldn't have to do it in front of the class.

Final Class

Our final class was a little over two hours and we presented our final projects. The system was not working too well again, so some people's voices had echos as did mine. I was able to communicate at first, but then when it was time to present my project, my voice echoed a lot. Eventually it turned out ok and I was ready to go. Then I got kicked off the site as I was presenting! To be honest I got pretty mad! I was going along and had a good pace and then "pow" I'm kicked out.. I guess that's technology so I can't complain too much. I have never given a presentation online before. It was quite a first time experience and I did enjoy watching the other projects. All the topics were interesting and educational. It seemed most people did use slideshow like I did, but then there were some who used other sites which were pretty cool.

Newsletter

Communication between parents and teachers is very important. Most parents work hours out of the normal school day and it is important for both parties to still communicate on a regular basics. At times children have lost papers when teachers are trying to contact parents and letting them know what is going on in the classroom. Placing important information online is a terrific way to have parents capable of obtaining information when they want. My group used Letterpop to create the newletter. Our first impression was that it would be fairly easy, yet we were shocked to see that it actually wasn't. It was hard to create an account and login in each time! I am still not sure why. Getting together was difficult once again, but we did our best to make time. Our schedules are just so different, that one person was available yet another wasn't. We made it though! Yay! Next time we felt we would use another website to make this newsletter.

Engrade

I liked engrade alot. It was very useful to have the opportunity to have my classes grade book at my finger tips. It is much easier than using an old fashion grade book. Erasing information and changing grades can be done in a simple touch of a delete button. Also saving information is just as easy. I don't have my own classroom just yet, but I have student taught and have used a grade book before. An old fashion paper grade book that is. Now with the chance to use a grade book online, is something I will use when I do have my own classroom.

A is for apple

I was surprised by the video. The very first saying that stuck to me was "if the school fails and isn't meeting standards, close it down!" How in the world could that man say it that easily. Closing schools shouldn't be done so easily. I understand that schools need to meet all their requirements, but to close a school because they didn't meet it is something that shouldn't be done. Maybe changing teachers rather than closing a school. I agree with the fact that students should be involved in learning. The more they have an input in a lesson, the more things will be remembered. I also agree that schools now focus on standardize tests, rather than the curriculum. Tests have become something that takes over the learning environment and too much time is focused on them. I think standardize tests are important, but to a limit.

Group four

As we were working on our group projects, I can feel myself going a bit crazy. It is very overwhelming to do everything and not actually meeting with the group members in person. Even thought we worked on AIM and webex, it is very different than seeing the person. It's hard to get the same time to work for everyone, but we did it and finished what was needed. My group members are very helpful and we did all we could. I feel it is too much work to be done and not enough is explained. I feel like step by step directions should be posted because technology is very tricky and confusing. Without step by step directions people start to do their own thing. That is what happened to me. We did finish it, but this has left me drained and hoping it is all correct!

5E lesson

I found 5E lesson to be much different than Mount Saint Mary's lesson plan. 5E is more into student based learning than teacher based teaching. Students do much more inquiry and have to search for answers instead of being told what the answer. I am not sure if I would use 5E lesson plan in any school. I feel lessons need to be student and teacher based. Just focusing on students is not right in my point of view. They could be working alot on trying to receive the correct answer to a question that very well could be wrong. Helping and guiding the students to the correct answer is what I feel is best. Students can still ask questions and should be told to ask, but guiding them to the correct answer is important. Teachers and students should work along side one another.

class reflection

Last weeks class section went well. It was much better than the week when technology failed us! One problem I have is my microphone. Everyone heard me typing, yet no one could hear my voice. I am not sure and wondering if it is the volume. I have a built in microphone in on lap top, so I am not sure if maybe I am using it incorrectly! I'm trying to figure it out, but I don't really know how too. Ummmmm what will I do?

twitter in the classroom

There are many reasons to why twitter should be used in the classroom. Up to date information is found and used in the classroom. It is at the student's finger tips. Any question asked could be found on twitter in a quick second. It states that starting off with a simple key word and pressing search will find information about a given topic. The teacher can show a certain aspect in twitter they want to teach and then the students can be the next to research move on the topic or similar topic. Getting parents involved becomes very easy since they can just log onto twitter and find out what is going on in the classroom. One thing that is very interesting when it comes to using twitter is being able to communicate with people from all different places! Students can make pen-pals with someone in China and really anywhere. Games and many activities are also found in twitter. Teachers and students will both enjoy and benefit from using twitter. It is also a great way to keep parents aware.
I would use twitter in my future classroom. There are so many options and makes learning fun, yet still educational. I did not know twitter had all these parts and I am glad now that I know.

inquiry based learning

Inquiry is looking and searching for answers to ideas and questions. The process of inquiry begins with gathering information and data through using our five senses, hearing, seeing, touching, tasting and smelling. One problem that has occurred is students don't ask too many questions anymore and simply look for the exact answer. There are many factors to inquiry such as: a context for questions, a framework for questions, a focus for questions, and different levels of questions. Educators need to know that information changes, so they need to use inquiry learning. Basically people need to know that asking questions is important and valid to learning. Knowledge needs to be transmitted through everyone and everything we know. From schools, parents and society in general. Inquiring is not only used in science, it is useful in all aspects such as: artistic, historic, economic and many other perspectives. Using inquiry based is important for just living because questions should all be asked no matter what.
I liked reading this article. I agree that more questions should be asked in and out of school. Students need to think outside the box and see what the world has to offer. If questions are never asked than people will stop "learning" and will look simply for the exact answer instead of trying to figure it out.

Textbooks of the future

Textbooks are being replaced with finding text on the computer! That will start from as early as four years old and all the way to college and beyond students. Students will have the choice between textbooks or CD-ROMS and I am sure most will rather CD-ROM. It is easier to carry and use, since most students use the computer for everything already. Children love the idea of electronics, so using books on the computer is exciting to them. Answering and looking through the textbook can be done faster and that means more time to do other stuff! There are many reasons stated to why computers are important to use. One is the usage of images and this helps students learn better because they see what is being taught such as animal voices can be heard anything with sound effects. Students read textbooks and reread the information in order to understand it, but with computer usage students can use it to enhance images and easily find answers to questions. Important key terms and ideas are easily found in a text on the computer. Students can click on the term and it quickly brings you to a different site to understand it, rather than a textbook where you have to look at the index. Teachers are even starting to use digital textbooks instead of traditional textbooks. It is a easier way to express what you expect of the students and placing discussions online in order to see what students feel about the given topic.
I feel computer usage in the classroom will take over traditional teaching and learning. Students are more advanced with using computers and like to find information quickly and easily. Teachers can post or answers questions faster and the same goes for students. Computers are just easier for all aspects of teaching. Event though it is great, computers shouldn't always be main focus. Using traditional textbooks should still be used because technology is expensive and can fail at any moment.

Introduction to Instructional Design and the ADDIE Model

Instructional system design had many names. A few of the names are: Instructional Systems Design & Development (ISDD), the Systems Approach to Training (SAT), or just Instructional Design (ID). This idea is a step by step process to evaluate students needs, design and development of the needed training materials and lastly to see how well the program worked. A systems is made to achieve a certain goal. There are many ISD models, but the generic one is ADDIE. Through out the process the designer develops an understanding of the openings that exist between the wanted outcomes and what the person actual knows and does not know. Some do now like the system, so they formed more of an systemic design. It has many advantages when it comes to technology based training. Like in anything, problems do occur. Training based programs are usually based on fixed rates which is on budget and a set schedule. That causes many issues when trying to set how long and how much it take and cost. For any best results a CD-ROM, or web based training should use a modified idea of ADDIE. Then a prototype is placed in. This is a way to test students in the early ISD process. The evaluation looks at the learners and how well they did, along aside how the activities were too. Afterwards the prototype or design can be changed to fit better.

After reading this article, I was a little confused. It reminds me of different testing types that are used on students to see what learning disability they might have. The ADDIE has a learning goal which is established and so do IEP's and other sort of goals that are set for students to reach. I never heard of this before, so I am not sure if it is widely used or not.

Igoogle Start page

At first I had no idea how to make an igoogle start page. I kept looking through the moodle for this class and did not find a thing on it. So, I did what I usually do when I'm confused, I google. I googled "how to create an igoogle start page". It brought me to the site I needed. It took all of 30 seconds to make my own igoogle page. I made it with a beach scenery. I love the beach! After that I downloaded Jing. After the process of downloading, I got confused again on what was next. Somehow I figured it out and the "sun" appeared on the top of my computer. I called it a sun because it is yellow and is at the top in the middle of my screen. I pressed the sun and pressed on the "t" and captured the imagine. I then copied it and put it into Microsoft word. Then I saved it in PDF and sent it in to be graded. After all the confusion I was able to do it correctly and figure it out!

DIIGO

Diigo has many parts such as: my library, my network, my groups and community. I like how I can have my own library and include webpages, note and even photos! I did not save anything, but maybe one day I will. The friends part reminds me of having facebook. You can see if your friends are on diigo and search them. The groups and communities parts are similar to friends.
I do not think I would use this in my classroom one day. I feel it is too much for an elementary child to use. I want to teach elementary, so I think they would not be able to comprehend it too well.

voice of the net generation

It seems computers for this student is very helpful. She uses it for many reasons, from personal to school usage. Computers are used in classrooms, such as blogs. She uses blogs to post her ideas on what was read and done in school or found in websites. Email is also used for students. She used email to send her science project to someone in Australia to preview it and see if it is good. That is called peer review, getting ideas on something using the Internet. It is fast and easy. She is able to look for information online and then place it on a personal page.
I thought this video was good because it demonstrated how students and computers really work well with one another. Students are able to ask opinions of others in different countries and get rapid feedback. I like the idea of a blog and posting your findings there because it is open for others to view as well. Peer help can also work in that aspect.

NETS-S

After reading NETS-S, I came to see that all six standards are different yet similar to one another. I like communication and collaborations because it allows students to communicate freely and openly with one another. Putting peoples ideas together is helpful because it can open the eyes of another who might not have thought of the idea. Using the computer to spread ideas is good due to that one idea can be spread to many people in a fast pace. I also like research and information fluency. Researching information on the Internet on different sites gives people many options to finding the desired information needed. Also processing data and finding out results and reporting them is a great thing that computers do. Those two standards are my favorite.
I feel I am able to reach each of those standards. They are easy enough to understand and also parts that I am familiar with now. At this moment I know how to communicate with computers and research information. The only thing I might want to work with is how to process data and reporting results. I am not the best at that, just yet! With practice I think I can be.

Net generations readings

Students from previous generations are different from net generation students because net are children who were born with technology and computers. These students know how to use computers better than an adult does. Computers can be found in almost all households and years ago there might have been one computer at home. Some homes did not even use computers. Computers can be found anywhere and it is truly impossible to find a business or home that does not contain one.
Computer usage can cause some minor problem for teachers. One possible issue might be how fast a teacher responds to a students question. Yes, email is made to make communication quick, but that does not always that a response will be automatic. Teachers should establish the rule that a email can be written, but that does not mean it will be answered right away. Giving a student a time frame such as allow at least a day to hear back is a good idea. Students will use computers to obtain most information for research. Yet that is the easiest and fastest way, it will take away from finding information through books and usage of libraries. Teachers can also incorporate more usage of computers in the classroom is possible. This will be especially helpful for the baby boomers who are teachers!

Difference between types of literacy

There are a few types of literacy. Computer, information and integration literacy. Each is different to one another.
Information literacy is the ability to understand a problem when one occurs and start to investigate assemble information, gather information, process and apply the information and work towards a solution and see if it is effective in the whole process.
Computer information is ability to use computers and technology in wide ranges. That works along side of knowing the hard and soft ware of a computer. It also shows how comfortable a person might truly be with a computer and technology. Anything that has to do with computer from printing to just typing is knowing computer information.
Integration literacy is being able to use your knowledge, but also with the help of computers. Knowing how to use different websites, instead of just one is always helpful. All websites give additional information and might be more useful than the first one. It is also important to site the information found on these websites.
The literacy of the future will be very different from now. Now a days we use the computer for almost every aspect. I can only imagine what the future will hold. Classrooms might have computers conduct a lesson instead of a teacher. Technology will just continue to grow and that might cause a problem because technology could take over human jobs more then ever.

wdydwyd

This site was interesting. I did not know what wdydwyd meant, but then I figured it out. Why do you do what you do. That's a funny question because many people probably ask themselves that same question each and everyday. I know I do, but I always find a reason to why I do something. I am getting a bit overwhelmed with all the websites!!!

slideshare

Slideshare gives people the chance to load their doceuments online for others to view. Teachers can use it for their powerpoint and students can view it at any given time. I feel this site is really good and I would use it.

Delicious website

The delicious bookmarks is just like a normal bookmark you can find on any standard computer. There are some differences though. The delicious bookmarks can appear on any computer even if it isn't your computer at home. That is quite helpful because if you are trying to do something and need the bookmark, it will be there. Another interesting fact is that you can send friends bookmarks that you like and what to share with them. I am not sure if I will use this, but hey you never know.
I don't know if I would use this is my classroom. I feel that on the general classroom computer I would use the normal tool bookmark and do not feel the need to have students use the delicious bookmark. Maybe if my students were in highschool, I would use it. That way they could access the needed websites if they were using another computer other than the classroom.

Twitter

I just created a twitter account. To be honest, I don't really like it. I feel it is the same thing as facebook when it comes to stating what you're thinking. Maybe I will like it later, but I am not too sure.
I would not use this in the classroom. I feel there is no need to know what someone is doing when I can just ask in classroom. I am not a fan of twitter. I feel it is a place for people to complain.

Google Apps

Google Apps has many parts. A few of the sections are email, talk, calendar and google sites. Email and talk are used to help people talk when in different locations. The calendar and google sites help people use information and save the found information. After completing the activity, I was able to place the correct google app to the right picture, but only after the 2nd time. The pictures were a bit confusing and looked too simple. I felt like any of the google apps could have pertained to each image.

Classroom 2.0

I was a bit confused when I started to read 2.0 in the classroom. It was so much information and the screen which I watched the clip on was coming in and out. I think that was due to my computer acting funky. I got the basic idea that Kathy was trying to convey. One thing I found a bit strange is the fact that the children were allowed to be shown. I was always told that pictures of students is not allowed unless parents have a consent form stating it is ok, but even then children are usually not placed in places for people to view freely. The blog was a great idea. Students were allowed to place their ideas and feelings into the blog without the fear of being graded.

Learning Styles 2.0

Technology helps enhance students knowledge about what is around and also keeps them informed without using television and newspapers. Students learn in many different ways. Some learning styles are student centered, collaborative and on-demand. Student centered is very important because students need to have an active role in their learning. The more they do the better the material will be understood. Students learn better with the help of their peers. Hearing peer feedback is useful because it allows them to hear what other peers feel and how they understand certain material. Observation is also important due to children usually understand a topic better when they are able to visually see it and apply it as well. Lastly, learning on-demand is also an idea that should be used frequently. Course content should be on-demand whenever students need it. This way they can see what is demanded of them and cannot question it.

class week 2

Last week was quite an interesting class meeting. The experience proved how tricky technology can be and how it can ruin something that was planned. I feel technology should not always be counted on and other forms of backup should be used. Technology is very useful, yet it can leave a mess when it is not used correctly. In a way it is a good thing we experienced this issue because it allowed us as future teachers to see that we can not only rely on technology.