I found Gee's Principles, on page 54 in our textbook, very interesting. I had not really thought about learning games in this way. I chose 3 principles that I thought would be important to education. The first one is the Active, Critical Learning Principle. I believe that this is important because as an educator, you should ALWAYS keep your students actively learning. The second principle that I like is the Practice Principle. The old saying that "Practice makes perfect" is true. The only way that anyone will get better at a concept or activity is to practice it over and over again. The last principle that I like is the Probing Principle. The best way to learn is to ask questions and go through "What if?" scenarios. Students really like being able to ask many questions and receive acceptable answers or to debate about their ideas.
If I were to create a simulation for my SPED classes I would want to create a Reading and Phonics program. I would create a simulation that would use voice responses on quizzes to gauge whether or not they are pronouncing the words correctly and learning how to read. The students would have to listen to a story or passage being read and they would then have to verbally answer questions over the passage. Another aspect would be for the student to verbally answer questions over parts of speech and other concepts. I have not yet seen a simulation program like this. I have seen many Math simulations and I think that Reading and Phonics are just as important and often overlooked.
In conclusion, I think that learning games and simulations have become a large part of education these days. I have learned a great deal about technologies and their uses in this course and from this, I do not think that we will ever go away from using new technologies. I think that technology is evolving each day and there will come a day where teachers will become almost obsolete.
References
Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra, R. M. (2008). Meaningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson.
20101202
20101125
Week 13 Blog
Technology Based Rubrics
Technology based rubrics are rubrics that are created through online websites such as Discovery School or Rubrician. Through these sites the teacher can find or create rubrics to fit just about any assignment.
I think that specifically outlined rubrics should be mandatory for all college classes. Technology based rubrics would be very beneficial to most teachers. It would If there is one thing that I have had the biggest issue with throughout my educational career as a student, it would be the teachers who do not use a rubric. They grade based on their own feelings on a topic rather than grading based on a rubric that is utilized for all of the students.
Clicker Assessment Tools
Clicker Assessment Tools are relatively new tools to assess students quickly and "on the fly". A teacher can create a short or long assessment for students to participate in class. The students are assigned a specific clicker and the teacher can collect data on their response time and whether or not they correctly respond to questions. She can then go back and reteach the concepts that the students are having trouble with. Many students are afraid to speak out and acknowledge that they are having trouble grasping a concept in class. This is a great way to accomplish this without the students being singled out.
Inspiration/Kidspiration Software
I downloaded the Free 30 day trial to check this software out. How cool is this!!???!?!? I played with it a little bit with my daughter. She really liked all of the colors and that it was easy enough for a 4 year old to navigate. Learning software has really become a great way to reach all students. Students enjoy "playing games" on the computer. They have so much fun "playing" that they do not notice that they are actually learning important concepts. It is a great way to use technology to benefit them the most.
As a Special Education teacher, I think that I could use all of these items in my classroom. Technology based rubrics could be used to grade student projects and writing in an objective manner, however there must be room for a curve based upon their disabilities. Clicker based assessment tools could be used to make learning more fun by allowin the student to participate anonomously. In my current classroom, we are already utilizing several different online learning software systems. It is a great way for us to allow the students to have a break and "play" while still meeting the objectives outlined in their IEP goals.
In conclusion, I think that this course has opened my eyes to many different types of technologies that I never would have thought of using in my SPED classrooms. I will definately be using many of the things that I have learned through this class in the future.
References
Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra, R. M. (2008). Meaningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson.
Technology based rubrics are rubrics that are created through online websites such as Discovery School or Rubrician. Through these sites the teacher can find or create rubrics to fit just about any assignment.
I think that specifically outlined rubrics should be mandatory for all college classes. Technology based rubrics would be very beneficial to most teachers. It would If there is one thing that I have had the biggest issue with throughout my educational career as a student, it would be the teachers who do not use a rubric. They grade based on their own feelings on a topic rather than grading based on a rubric that is utilized for all of the students.
Clicker Assessment Tools
Clicker Assessment Tools are relatively new tools to assess students quickly and "on the fly". A teacher can create a short or long assessment for students to participate in class. The students are assigned a specific clicker and the teacher can collect data on their response time and whether or not they correctly respond to questions. She can then go back and reteach the concepts that the students are having trouble with. Many students are afraid to speak out and acknowledge that they are having trouble grasping a concept in class. This is a great way to accomplish this without the students being singled out.
Inspiration/Kidspiration Software
I downloaded the Free 30 day trial to check this software out. How cool is this!!???!?!? I played with it a little bit with my daughter. She really liked all of the colors and that it was easy enough for a 4 year old to navigate. Learning software has really become a great way to reach all students. Students enjoy "playing games" on the computer. They have so much fun "playing" that they do not notice that they are actually learning important concepts. It is a great way to use technology to benefit them the most.
As a Special Education teacher, I think that I could use all of these items in my classroom. Technology based rubrics could be used to grade student projects and writing in an objective manner, however there must be room for a curve based upon their disabilities. Clicker based assessment tools could be used to make learning more fun by allowin the student to participate anonomously. In my current classroom, we are already utilizing several different online learning software systems. It is a great way for us to allow the students to have a break and "play" while still meeting the objectives outlined in their IEP goals.
In conclusion, I think that this course has opened my eyes to many different types of technologies that I never would have thought of using in my SPED classrooms. I will definately be using many of the things that I have learned through this class in the future.
References
Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra, R. M. (2008). Meaningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson.
20101116
Chapter 9
We view many different versions of Digital Storytelling daily, from a simple TV commercial for Coca-Cola, to a sitcom like Grey's Anatomy or cartoon like Handy Manny, all the way to an Oscar winning movie like The Blind Side. Kate Kemker's version of Digital Storytelling is a very simple and condensed version of Movie Production. Digital Storytelling is a very involved multi-step activity. It starts with preproduction where the students coming up with a plan, rough draft if you will, on paper. They will make a story board with text and drawings of their concepts. This story board should also include instructions for the camera handler and actors. In this step they will also address the basic elements of a story: exposition, rising action, climax and falling action. When preproduction has been done adequately, they will begin the production stage. The production stage is where raw footage is shot. After all of the video has been shot, it will then be time for post production/editing of the raw video. In this step the students will use editing software like Apple iMovie or Adobe Premiere to create their final video.
I am not sure whether it would be something that I could use in my Special Education classes without condensing the steps even further. These students generally have a hard time with multi-step tasks or assignments. I think that it is something that many of my students would enjoy, but I would have to stretch the assignment over several weeks of instruction.
Mathematical concepts are often the most difficult for students to comprehend. There are so many different types of tools that can be used to help visualize mathematical concepts. The textbook suggests using something as simple as tally sticks and place cards for concepts such as addition and subtraction. When doing more advanced equations and concepts students should be able to use computerized manipulatives such as graphing calculators, and special softward programs like TableTop or TinkerPlots. Geometry can be visualized with the tool Geometric Supposer.
In my classroom, we use dot counters, blocks, hundred charts, place value charts and multiplication charts on a daily basis. These simple items help the students to learn their math facts by repetition.
I am a very visual learner, but I have to do things several time in order to perfect the task. I have learned how to do many things by watching YouTube videos. I also subscribe to a Big Name Horse Trainer's club and receive videos each month. No, you are not going to be perfect just from watching the videos, but at least it gives you an idea of how something is supposed to look. Some people may be able to just jump right in and perfect a task merely from watching a video, but I am betting that more than half of the students will need further instruction. TV and video should be used as supplements only, and not as the only method of instruction.
References
Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra, R. M. (2008). Meaningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson.
I am not sure whether it would be something that I could use in my Special Education classes without condensing the steps even further. These students generally have a hard time with multi-step tasks or assignments. I think that it is something that many of my students would enjoy, but I would have to stretch the assignment over several weeks of instruction.
Mathematical concepts are often the most difficult for students to comprehend. There are so many different types of tools that can be used to help visualize mathematical concepts. The textbook suggests using something as simple as tally sticks and place cards for concepts such as addition and subtraction. When doing more advanced equations and concepts students should be able to use computerized manipulatives such as graphing calculators, and special softward programs like TableTop or TinkerPlots. Geometry can be visualized with the tool Geometric Supposer.
In my classroom, we use dot counters, blocks, hundred charts, place value charts and multiplication charts on a daily basis. These simple items help the students to learn their math facts by repetition.
I am a very visual learner, but I have to do things several time in order to perfect the task. I have learned how to do many things by watching YouTube videos. I also subscribe to a Big Name Horse Trainer's club and receive videos each month. No, you are not going to be perfect just from watching the videos, but at least it gives you an idea of how something is supposed to look. Some people may be able to just jump right in and perfect a task merely from watching a video, but I am betting that more than half of the students will need further instruction. TV and video should be used as supplements only, and not as the only method of instruction.
References
Crismond, D., Howland, J., Jonassen, D., Marra, R. M. (2008). Meaningful Learning With Technology. Upper Saddle, New Jersey: Pearson.
20101025
Podcast
What did you learn about podcasting? How can it be used in the classroom?
I learned that podcasting has become a great way for teachers to interact with their students in a fun way. The students seem to enjoy the fact that they can listen on their ipods and not have to carry heavy books around to study for tests. Teachers can use a program like Audacity to record and edit lectures or study sessions for their students and then the students can listen to them any time that they want. The teacher can record her lecture and have a substitute play it if she is absent for any length of time.
How is podcasting different/similar to other Web 2.0 applications we discussed so far?
All of the Web 2.0 applications that we have discussed so far have been relatively "new" technology that are being used in the classroom. All of these "new" technologies are being used to keep learning fun and to keep the students actively engaged in their education. Blogging is a great tool for "visual learners" and Podcasting is a great tool for "auditory learners". I am a very visual learner and I feel that I would benefit the most from a Blog.
Your reflection: Do you own an iPod/MP3 player? How do you use it? Would you use it in your classroom and how? What do you think about advantages/disadvantages of online communication tools?
I do own an iPod. I have an iPhone 4. I mainly just use it as a phone and for games and Facebook. I have some music on it, but I mostly just listen to Pandora. I have not really thought about using it in my classroom. My sister is a High School Geometry teacher. She is going on maternity leave soon and she is going to be using podcasting and Skype for her students. She plans to have several lessons recorded in order to help her Sub prepare the students for their upcoming State Assessments. She will use Skype occassionally so that she will keep in touch with them and be able to answer questions in real time. I think this is a great way to use Podcasts and Skype. I think that there are more advantages than disadvantages of online communication tools.
I learned that podcasting has become a great way for teachers to interact with their students in a fun way. The students seem to enjoy the fact that they can listen on their ipods and not have to carry heavy books around to study for tests. Teachers can use a program like Audacity to record and edit lectures or study sessions for their students and then the students can listen to them any time that they want. The teacher can record her lecture and have a substitute play it if she is absent for any length of time.
How is podcasting different/similar to other Web 2.0 applications we discussed so far?
All of the Web 2.0 applications that we have discussed so far have been relatively "new" technology that are being used in the classroom. All of these "new" technologies are being used to keep learning fun and to keep the students actively engaged in their education. Blogging is a great tool for "visual learners" and Podcasting is a great tool for "auditory learners". I am a very visual learner and I feel that I would benefit the most from a Blog.
Your reflection: Do you own an iPod/MP3 player? How do you use it? Would you use it in your classroom and how? What do you think about advantages/disadvantages of online communication tools?
I do own an iPod. I have an iPhone 4. I mainly just use it as a phone and for games and Facebook. I have some music on it, but I mostly just listen to Pandora. I have not really thought about using it in my classroom. My sister is a High School Geometry teacher. She is going on maternity leave soon and she is going to be using podcasting and Skype for her students. She plans to have several lessons recorded in order to help her Sub prepare the students for their upcoming State Assessments. She will use Skype occassionally so that she will keep in touch with them and be able to answer questions in real time. I think this is a great way to use Podcasts and Skype. I think that there are more advantages than disadvantages of online communication tools.
20101013
WEB 2.0
How will I use Wikis and Blogs with my students?I think that Wikis and Blogs would be helpful for my Learning Disabled Sped students. It would be a great way for them to express their fellings and show understanding of my lessons. Many of my current students have social disorders and have a hard time speaking in groups or even one on one. Some other students have disorders such as disgraphia or dyslexia and they have a hard time writing with pen and paper. Many of them use keyboards and computers for written assignments. I think that Blogs would be a great way for them to express themselves and to create a computerized record of their learning processes. For example:
Student A has Aspergers and is extremely intelligent but is largely nonverbal in groups. He will use a blog to show his understanding of the concepts from the reading lessons. Other students can make comments and they can have discussions in the comments of the blog. I can view the blog and give him a grade based upon his blog and the discussions that he has with his classmates in the comments.
What do I think about Social Bookmarking? Would it be useful for me and my students? Why? How? Am I interested in creating a Voice Thread? Why? Why not?
I like Social Bookmarking. I really like the idea of having many links available to me in a simple, easy to locate format. The teachers in my school district already use a system similar to this within our network. I am going to suggest this to my mentor teacher as a way for us to share links within the Special Ed department within our district. We can then share the links with each others students so that they can use relevant sites at home and at school. I think it would also be a great idea to allow the parents of our students access and the ability to bookmark sites that may be relevant to helping their children.
I think that Voice Thread is a neat concept. I do not think that I would use it for my Elementary Special Education students though. I think it would be perfect for 7th-12th grade or college students. It appears to be entirely too complicated for Elementary Special Ed students be successful using. It may be something that a teacher could use if they were going to have an extended abscence such as maternity leave. This would keep her connected with the students.
What do I think about Tapped in? Have I explored it? Do I think it would be useful?
I had never heard of Tapped in before this assignment. It appears to be a decent site, however it is not very user friendly. I had a hard time navigating it and it appeared to just have chat rooms and lots of links to things that I could find simply by Google-ing. Personally, I do not think that I would ever use this site. I think that I would rather just use Google or talk to co-workers and friends for ideas rather than trying to navigate this site.
References
20101008
Assessment and E-Portfolio
1. Why do you use assessment activities? How do you use assessment activities as a way to generate feedback that can improve learner performance?
As teachers, we use assessment activities to monitor a student's progress and to determine how effective we are. We can use assessment activities such as electronic quizzes and paper quizzes to gauge the student's knowledge and understanding of the lessons that we are teaching. The NCLB act mandates that we assess the skills and knowledge of students yearly from 3rd grade forward. This assesses whether or not the students are performing on grade level or below. All students and schools must be proficient with grade level TEKS on the TAKS test by 2013-2014. We use assessments to ensure that we are teaching the students the material that they need in order to be proficient. If they are not proficient, then we must learn how to teach them more effictively.
2. What is e-portfolio? How does it help teachers and students? What are computer based tests?
Does the use of computer based tests impact validity and reliability?
An e-portfolio is an electronic portfolio of a student's assignments for a particular time period or class subject. The e-portfolio is helpful because is allows the teacher to have easy access to the student's assignments in order to assess the student more efficiently. It is a great tool that allows parents and future teachers of the student to view their progress in one easy location.
I feel that computer based tests are effective because they allow a computer based system to do all of the grading. Computerized testing eliminates the chances of human error on grading or of filling in the wrong bubble on the scantron form. A great thing about computer based testing is that it is easier for a teacher to mix up a question bank to ensure that students all have different questions and answers. This will help curb cheating and create a more reliable assessment score.
3. Conclusion
As our generation has become more and more technology driven, we are using more and more electronic methods of assessment and monitoring of student's progress. I am really excited about all of the new technology that is available to us now. I created a very elaborate portfolio of all of my writing in High School, and it was wonderful at the time. However, now I look back and I wish that I had more than just a paper copies of all of those memories. I will definately use computerized testing and e-portfolios with my students. We should make use of all of the available technology in order to ensure that our students are given the best possible chance of learning and remembering the materials. With all of the video games and other technology that they students are exposed to outside of school we have a challenge to make learning fun and exciting for student's. If we do not stimulate them with technology they will become bored and not pay attention at all.
Reference
As teachers, we use assessment activities to monitor a student's progress and to determine how effective we are. We can use assessment activities such as electronic quizzes and paper quizzes to gauge the student's knowledge and understanding of the lessons that we are teaching. The NCLB act mandates that we assess the skills and knowledge of students yearly from 3rd grade forward. This assesses whether or not the students are performing on grade level or below. All students and schools must be proficient with grade level TEKS on the TAKS test by 2013-2014. We use assessments to ensure that we are teaching the students the material that they need in order to be proficient. If they are not proficient, then we must learn how to teach them more effictively.
2. What is e-portfolio? How does it help teachers and students? What are computer based tests?
Does the use of computer based tests impact validity and reliability?
An e-portfolio is an electronic portfolio of a student's assignments for a particular time period or class subject. The e-portfolio is helpful because is allows the teacher to have easy access to the student's assignments in order to assess the student more efficiently. It is a great tool that allows parents and future teachers of the student to view their progress in one easy location.
I feel that computer based tests are effective because they allow a computer based system to do all of the grading. Computerized testing eliminates the chances of human error on grading or of filling in the wrong bubble on the scantron form. A great thing about computer based testing is that it is easier for a teacher to mix up a question bank to ensure that students all have different questions and answers. This will help curb cheating and create a more reliable assessment score.
3. Conclusion
As our generation has become more and more technology driven, we are using more and more electronic methods of assessment and monitoring of student's progress. I am really excited about all of the new technology that is available to us now. I created a very elaborate portfolio of all of my writing in High School, and it was wonderful at the time. However, now I look back and I wish that I had more than just a paper copies of all of those memories. I will definately use computerized testing and e-portfolios with my students. We should make use of all of the available technology in order to ensure that our students are given the best possible chance of learning and remembering the materials. With all of the video games and other technology that they students are exposed to outside of school we have a challenge to make learning fun and exciting for student's. If we do not stimulate them with technology they will become bored and not pay attention at all.
Reference
20101002
Copyright and Fair Use
Why do we respect copyrights and fair use rules? Why is that so important? How will you teach your students about this?
We need to respect copyrights and fair use rules so that everyone gets credit for their own work and no one else can profit from their hard work. It is not fair for someone to work hard and do all of the research to create something and have someone else come behind them and steal it and claim it as their own. Even if properly citing and giving credit to someone, we are still "stealing" it if we are not obtaining permission and the rights to distribute it. Students have more leniency than teachers and other adults because they are generally using the materials for educational purposes. I will teach my students about this by directing them to the sites listed on our assignment : http://www.copyright.gov/ and www.stfrancis.edu/cid/copyrightbay/index.htm . I felt that both of those sites had great information pertaining to the laws. The St. Francis, Copyright Bay, site was unique and used fun imagery to relay the information in a non threatening and memorable way. Both of these sites are a great way to begin a discussion about copyright laws and fair use rules.
What is online safety and is it different than cyberbullying? How can we protect students and ourselves from potential online predators?
Online Safety is more important now than ever before in our past. There are so many news staries every day about children being abducted and homes being robbed because of something that they posted on the internet. Cyberbullying has become even more prevalent because of the use of FaceBook and other social networking sites. Just this week a college student killed himself because his room mate posted video of his sexual encounters on the internet. There was an incident in my town just last week where cyberbullying was found to have occured. A middle school age girl had created a male profile on FaceBook and Myspace in order to speak to other middle school aged girls. She had kept this farce going for almost a year using a prepaid cell phone and the social networking pages. She requested and received nude and suggestive pictures of the teenaged girls through this media. The girls that were "tricked" are now humiliated and are now harassing the girl that "tricked" them. Luckily, for these girls and their clueless parents, this was just another little girl. But, it could have just as easily been a middle aged dirty pedophile that was trying to find his next victim. Parents and teachers have to monitor and educate students on the use of social media. Students should be reminded that they need to keep personal information private and not post status updates stating any specifics on where they are at any time. They should only have "friends" that they actually personally know, on their social networks sites. Parents should routinely check their childs computer and cell phones to make sure that they are being responsible and only talking to people that the parents approve of. Pesonally, I have checked my privacy settings on FaceBook and made sure that I do not have anything extremely personal posted. My "friends" can not even see my address or phone number. I have disabled "Places", and "tagging" of photos and status updates. I have the ability to approve if I want a photo of me to be "tagged". I do not have my current employer or city listed on my profile. I have also changed the spelling of my name to ensure that it is hard to find me on the site. I am careful to only add "friends" that I legitamately know in person, and to only "Fan" sites that are official, such as Official brand or TV show sites or my friend's home businesses or bands.
What do you think about this weeks activities? Did you learn anything new?
I did not learn anything new with this weeks activities. I am employed by a local school district and we recently did a pretty extensive training class on Copyright and Fair Use. The training that I did covered the exact same copyright quiz questions, just in a different format, in Eduphoria. I feel that I have a pretty good handle on the Copyright Laws and Fair Use Rules. It is always good to have a refresher though, because you can never be too careful in this day and age.
We need to respect copyrights and fair use rules so that everyone gets credit for their own work and no one else can profit from their hard work. It is not fair for someone to work hard and do all of the research to create something and have someone else come behind them and steal it and claim it as their own. Even if properly citing and giving credit to someone, we are still "stealing" it if we are not obtaining permission and the rights to distribute it. Students have more leniency than teachers and other adults because they are generally using the materials for educational purposes. I will teach my students about this by directing them to the sites listed on our assignment : http://www.copyright.gov/ and www.stfrancis.edu/cid/copyrightbay/index.htm . I felt that both of those sites had great information pertaining to the laws. The St. Francis, Copyright Bay, site was unique and used fun imagery to relay the information in a non threatening and memorable way. Both of these sites are a great way to begin a discussion about copyright laws and fair use rules.
What is online safety and is it different than cyberbullying? How can we protect students and ourselves from potential online predators?
Online Safety is more important now than ever before in our past. There are so many news staries every day about children being abducted and homes being robbed because of something that they posted on the internet. Cyberbullying has become even more prevalent because of the use of FaceBook and other social networking sites. Just this week a college student killed himself because his room mate posted video of his sexual encounters on the internet. There was an incident in my town just last week where cyberbullying was found to have occured. A middle school age girl had created a male profile on FaceBook and Myspace in order to speak to other middle school aged girls. She had kept this farce going for almost a year using a prepaid cell phone and the social networking pages. She requested and received nude and suggestive pictures of the teenaged girls through this media. The girls that were "tricked" are now humiliated and are now harassing the girl that "tricked" them. Luckily, for these girls and their clueless parents, this was just another little girl. But, it could have just as easily been a middle aged dirty pedophile that was trying to find his next victim. Parents and teachers have to monitor and educate students on the use of social media. Students should be reminded that they need to keep personal information private and not post status updates stating any specifics on where they are at any time. They should only have "friends" that they actually personally know, on their social networks sites. Parents should routinely check their childs computer and cell phones to make sure that they are being responsible and only talking to people that the parents approve of. Pesonally, I have checked my privacy settings on FaceBook and made sure that I do not have anything extremely personal posted. My "friends" can not even see my address or phone number. I have disabled "Places", and "tagging" of photos and status updates. I have the ability to approve if I want a photo of me to be "tagged". I do not have my current employer or city listed on my profile. I have also changed the spelling of my name to ensure that it is hard to find me on the site. I am careful to only add "friends" that I legitamately know in person, and to only "Fan" sites that are official, such as Official brand or TV show sites or my friend's home businesses or bands.
What do you think about this weeks activities? Did you learn anything new?
I did not learn anything new with this weeks activities. I am employed by a local school district and we recently did a pretty extensive training class on Copyright and Fair Use. The training that I did covered the exact same copyright quiz questions, just in a different format, in Eduphoria. I feel that I have a pretty good handle on the Copyright Laws and Fair Use Rules. It is always good to have a refresher though, because you can never be too careful in this day and age.
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