Final Reflective Post

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Throughout this semester I have achieved knowledge not just in integrating technolgy in education but in education in general. This was my first ever education course and the experience was very great. I gained great skills and began to understand what  it is like to be on the other side, being an educator rather than a student. Many techniques were taught to me through the course EME 2040.

To begin with I would like to discuss how the assignments provided affected my perspective and understanding.  One of the assingments that I believed that achieved to do that was the collaborative lesson plan. Becoming an educator it is required for one to actually know how to create on correctly with all the elements. Doing a lesson plan and learning the elements of one has certainly helped in my understanding. I learned that it consist of objective, how it is introduced and the in depth instruction. Another thing that was enjoyable and aprreciated throughout this course was dealing with different type of learners. I related to this because in one of the in class projects, doing the webquest there was a student who was gifted and there are certain ways to deal with kids such ways. I remeber in elementary school I would get pulled out of class maybe during math or reading and had to figure out harder material. I as well appreciated this because working in an afterschool program there are many kids who are gifted or have difficulty reading or have language barrier. One website that I liked througout the course is a vocabulary game. It is helpful for differnt type of learners. I appreciated alot learning how to deal with this and good techniques in aproaching situations and how technology has helped. This is one of my favorite videos I came across to describe todays education.


Communication (COM): We created blogs, webquest, in class presentations which excerised using english being written and speaking.
Critical Thinking (CT): Crisitcal thinking was used in things such as creating webquest when trying to find ways to reach each student with learning needs.
Technology/Information Management(TIM):  This standard was used throughout the whole course. We had discussion post where we had to providce resources. In all our blogs it was a must to put in APA style which includes organizing our resources. There were as well asignments such as the evaluation of a website to verify that it was safe to use or not safe/reliable.
 Global Socio-cultural Responsibility (GSR):  I think this standard was mainly used int he blogs when we gave our personal opinion in things discussed in our book as well in our discussion post we would have. I enjoyed actually using the textbook and reflecting on it becasue it helped me learn what the material was.

Class was always engaing, there were many activites during the class period to make sure we were not sitting for the whole 2 hours and a half and I always felt time was used efficently and many things would get done. Although it was engaging I do beleive that perhaps future classes can be even more emgaing, especially since it is at night many students tend to lose focus.

Great experience taking the course EME 2040. This being my first education class I have learned so much and I will use my knowlwedge and practice it in real life experiences.

Resource:
21st Century Education. (2012, May 7). Retrieved December 9, 2015, 
Free Image on Pixabay - Apple, Education, School, Knowledge. (n.d.). 
Gonzalez, I. (2015, December 9). ABCYA. Retrieved December 9, 2015, 
Vocabulary Games, English Vocabulary Word Games. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9, 2015,

Post #L

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Chapter 12, describes great ways to integrate technology. As an educator I believe that we need to be aware of all aspects of new ways to help out our students. Technology is a great way. Some of the things I want to discuss is if one is using technology needs to know how to address it, the difference between infusion and Inclusions, and the negative issues of integration of technology.

One who uses technology, must make informed choices, explore technology, and promotes changes. I agree that when integrating technology it is the educators job to make sure it will actually enhance learning, or that the information being showed to the child online is up to date. I believe it is a change that takes time to adjust because students are used to being told to put their cellphones away and it has not been really a regular custom. Being an educator in the 21st century I feel like promoting change with using technology is great because it changes the way a kid can learn. I agree as well with the statement in the text that says, " change should be intended to make it possible for every student to reach their learning potential."

Infusion and Inclusion are two completely different ways in using technology. Inclusion means that computers and information are used mainly for transferring information and practicing skills.  Then there is Infusion, which means that computers and other information technologies are ongoing features of teaching and learning in all academic subjects at all grade levels. For example computers are now a part of the classroom so it is integrated in many of the lessons. I believe that infusion plays more of an important role in learning than inclusion. This is because infusion is more in depth and not for a minimum amount of time like inclusion.

In integrating technology there are issues teachers face. There are six main issues, Administrative support and teaching style, Unwillingness to change favorite lessons plans, reluctant to use technology in new lesson plans,use of technology as reward or punishment,use of technology  as add on to other activities, use of technology to separate students by ability. One of the issues I think is important is using technology as reward or punishment. because it occurs everywhere. Where I work the tactic of having good behavior equals computer time and bad behavior equals no computer time. Little did I realize that using this minimizes the use of technology for their learning purposes. It is not only in the after school program that I work at but many others use this tactic as well. In my opinion agree with this being an issue  because it will diminish their eagerness to learn.

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Resources:


Free Image on Pixabay - Boy, Girl, Hand In Hand, Kids. (2013). Retrieved November 19, 2015

 Gonzalez, Iliana. "Socrative." Socrative. 19 Nov. 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2015. 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post #K

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As I reviewed chapter four there were some concepts that captured my attention. As we go through the course EME 2040 I feel like many of these concepts are things that re going to affect our teaching styles.The three main concepts I think would help any educator including myself, are somethings that have to do with lesson planning. what to teach, how to teach it, and lastly,standardized test. 

To begin with I want to discuss what is referred to as Lesson design and Development. A part of this topic is the Academic content provided through the lesson plan, In other words the teacher faces the question, " What to teach." As educators although there are school system guidelines , one must know how to make it into a lesson plan so there is a clear objective. The academic content is, the facts, concepts,ideas, skills and understanding that one is going to share with their student, I feel this is very vital because a student needs to know what needs to get done. I think clarity is something big in this part of Lesson design and development,

Another part of lesson design and development that I think is what I would like to be able to achieve is how to teach a concept. It is one thing to figure what what one is going to teach but is another thing to know how to teach it I think this part of Lesson Design and Development is harder to achieve. In the book it lists many ways to be able to achieve this by using  technology such as, using presentation software, or websites, webcast, blogs or online discussion. I believe that as a teacher one should get to know the students to see which way can be more helpful to the students. For example to get the How to teach part, is important to understands ones students first. This will allow teachers to take different approaches. 


Lastly  I want to take the tome to discuss standardized test. These affect what is going to be on the lesson plans.  For those who do not know what standardized test are provided by nation, state, or district. " Specify what students are expected to know and  able to do at each grade level. " In my opinion I do not like these type of tests. I have taken them since 2nd grade all the way to my sophomore year in high school. I think theses test do not measure the intelligence of a student or can accurately measure what they know. I know this because growing up I hated the month of march and April. It was a time of stress to see if I would go on to the next level. I hated the fact that they were timed because although I knew the material it was terrifying thinking what if i did not have enough time. I think these test can only go so far. Also the new way of taking these test is now being taken using technology. These tests are behind a computer screen and it is terrible. I have experienced both the physical and the digital. When being behind a screen for more than 3 hours it affected how i saw the screen. My eyes began to hurt  I felt that it only deprived me from scoring higher. I honestly feel like standardized testing is not as accurate and is a kids nightmare. 

Resources: 

 Free Image on Pixabay - Check List, List, Exam, Test. (2012). Retrieved November 12, 2015,

Gonzalez, I. (2015, November 12). Chapter 4 Iliana. Retrieved November 12, 2015, 

 Sathy, K. (2013, May 15). This Test Does Not Define You. Retrieved November 12, 2015, 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Post #J

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Chapter 11 addresses in performance assessments for both the teacher and student and ways to actively involve students. Three concepts that I believe as a teacher one should be aware of is that just as we re going to evaluate students we will be as well evaluated as educators, also that there is a concept called democratic schools, and how to engage them using technology,

I want to discuss that as future teachers we will go through evaluations. administrators will walk and see how one is performing. They will evaluate our class management, our academic and class performance. I feel like this is important because as new teachers one has to be aware of what they can improve in. I feel like it will only allow us to get better. I also think though that evaluations are great, there can be complications. I feel that education politics comes into play.

An interesting concept I found was democratic schools and classrooms. Until reading this chapter I did not view schools like this or that such thing existed.  This is a movement that wants to allow students to be part of the educational and academic learning decisions, Its about establishing a balance and It sounds great. The teacher is in charge but the students have more voice. I think this concept is great as long as the student is accomplishing things, In the after school program I work in I feel like I have set up this type of environment. My students decide what games they want to play or what they want to watch based on some options. They feel like they have a voice and therefore they enjoy and tend to be more attentive,

I think the book provided an example on how to engage students using clickers, which is a student participation system. I personally have experienced this and feel like it i a great way to engage students. I think as educators things  like these will allow us to know which child is participating and we can know where they stand in a certain subject. There are also other things that have come since clickers, such as things like Socrative or Kahoot.it. I have experienced many of these while in school I think they are great. In kahoot it automatically shows you the result and it feels more of a game than anything else. Socrative is more I want to say formal. All of these are a great way to get the student engaged, to know if they understand or not, Also I think it can be used for other reason other than academic. It can be used to get to know the students better or to see what they want to do as activities or as a poll. These are great tools!

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Resources:


Gonzalez, I. (2015, November 4). Socrative. Retrieved November 5, 2015.

 Free Image on Pixabay - Playschool, Children, Human, Kids. (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015. 

Kahoot! (n.d.). Retrieved November 5, 2015.

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Digital Blog Post #I

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Chapter six, Fostering online learning with educational Websites and Apps, gives great information for an educator who needs to know what to do and how to use  website or technology with their students. There are some concepts that for me as a future educator would like to utilize or further explore. To begin with I want to talk about webquest because this week it is what class is being focused on, I want to appreciate information alert and lastly I want to discuss educational websites.

To begin with I want to discuss webquest. According to the textbook a webquest is an online inquiry by students that are designed and guided by teachers, Basically it is a very organized ways to gather information by using online sources so students can go on and explore and compete a task about a topic. I think it depends on the topic for a webquest to be interesting. Although I enjoy the organization of it I think that it has to be  topic perhaps interesting or something serious that as an educator one needs to provide this type of structure because one doesn't want a student to bump into something false on the web. I think that webquest are too much reading for a kid and that as someone who wants efficiency , they would prefer instructions that be accessible via internet or something that will keep their attention, a web quest barely keeps my attention but I have enough practice of self discipline to do it. A second grader might find it extremely difficult to concentrate and work in such  structured way. I feel like even though it is a great way to make sure that kids have everything they need to be successful, If it is not fun they will do it just to do it. I think this approach needs much self discipline to get through or it needs to be super fun and engaging to a student so they can enjoy and learn doing it.
 Second I want to talk about is information management, I think anyone who wants to be an educator needs to know about this and therefore appreciate the technology that we have. Information management means as defines in the textbook effectively utilizing different kinds of digital resources to create meaningful learning experiences for students. I think that using the internet as a way to keep up to date with information and further explore a topic is a need, It allows students to learn brand new information and keep them up to date. I think that as a teacher one would appreciate alerts or bookmarking. For example, In class using delicious has helped because one can pull up something whenever or wherever. Alerts I think are super helpful because lets say one wants the latest update on our solar system, or any topic, one can set up alerts to gain this information. Information management is something as future educators should keep in my mind because things keep changing.

Lastly, I want to discuss on a topic I found interesting here in chapter 6. I think that the debate over the progress of kids attending virtual school. I love technology especially because it makes things efficient. I am in the same page with critics on virtual school. Virtual schools will never replace the face to face interaction with teachers or the way a teacher can get across information. I think kids will find the easy way out such as using google or have someone else to their work. I do believe that in this case flying through school is not the best way to go about education. Sometimes taking longer to actually learn and not just find the answer is worth it. I am not disagreeing with the use of technology but when a teacher is not aware of who the student even is, or can not have a connection the student will barely want to be engaged. Love the idea of blended learning where there is interaction with the teacher and as well using technology.

Chapter 6 - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires
Resources:

 Free Image on Pixabay - Girl, Book, School, Reading. (2013). Retrieved October 27, 2015.

 Gonzalez, I. (2015, October 27). Chapter 6. Retrieved October 29, 2015. 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc

Post #H

By:Iliana Gonzlez - ABCYA

In chapter 9 it talks about how to use technology for creative purposes in the learning experience. I think that keeping it interested and up to date can help kids feel more related too. Being a 21st century teacher one has to be flexible with this technology because this is what kids are using now a days. Some concept that I found interesting is PowerPoint, YouTube and lastly using digital Cameras.

To begin with I want to discuss PowerPoint, I believe PowerPoint is the best presentation tool. I think that the flexibility and how much creativity ou can add to the slides is amazing. All my life I have used PowerPoint and it has been great. For example for business presentations to just casual in class assignments or projects. I feel like PowerPoint can be taught t a real young age. Perhaps when students begin to read it can start to be a useful tool. On the text book it showed some disadvantage of PowerPoint one being that students might zone out. I disagree with this. PowerPoint allows one to pull a presentation together it has no control over the content the user puts in or how the content is delivered. So hen saying kids zone out it is perhaps the presenter needs to work on some skills on how to keep the audience interested. PowerPoint is an amazing tool but it can not keep the audience engaged if the presenter does not.  PowerPoint is just a tool depends how one delivers the information or the purpose of it.

Picture By: Paul Reynolds – Flickr

Another concept I would love to use when I become a teacher is Alphabet books. As for me the ideal grade I would love to teach is Kindergarten. Using just the simplest of technology to create a lesson plan is awesome. So when creating an alphabet books one takes a picture of the student holding items that begin with a letter from the alphabet. For example, A can be used when the child holds an apple and so on. Using pictures or digital cameras in education I think is an easy way to integrate technology in a lesson plan. Another example may be if teaching higher grade one can create lets say perhaps a science journal and use the digital cameras to take pictures of the experiment.

Lastly one thing has facilitated learning are videos. Many times I have search video on task that I am not sure of. My main search engine for this I say would be YouTube. YouTube has transformed the Internet. This website is not just for music. This website allows one as an educator to provide I believe a fair and flexible environment. I want to talk about how easy it is to fin educational videos here. you type in a subject of choice and it will show up, or the book as well mentioned using an external website that will direct one into the right videos. When using videos it allows you to rewind, replay pause and these features are important even if for us they are simple. Working in an after school program I have noticed that kids usually will not understand on first attempt so these options become great and convenient. Another of using YouTube conveniently is by lets say the child still does not understand they can take it home and watch the video themselves pausing it and replaying it as many times as they want. Finally a teacher can use it to upload videos of important work or procedures a student missed out on if they were not present in school. The student can access these videos and be prepared for the next day of class.


Resources:

 ABCYA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 21, 2015

 Films, W. (2011, May 9). How to Give an Awesome (PowerPoint) Presentation (Whiteboard Animation Explainer Video). Retrieved October 22, 2015

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Reynolds, P. (2006, July 4). My Camera. Retrieved October 22, 2015

Blog #G - Chapter 10

Picture By: DeviantArt- Gazoz5

Making sure that a student receives all the assistance they need is part of being a flexible and a great educator. In chapter 10 promoting success for all students through technology,  explains many ways how educators can achieve the goal to make sure their students don't have any obstacles when it comes to learning.

Picture ABCYA- Iliana

Multicultural education is important in the 21rst century because all students have a different styles and ways of learning. The text states that this idea is as James bunk says “ That all students- regardless of their gender, social class, and ethnic,racial,or cultural characteristics- should have an equal opportunity to learn in school.” I believe this is important because as an educator, flexibility is vital. Not everyone is the same. In one of my posts I stated that I am up at 3 in the morning doing homework because that is the time where I feel focused. My school provides me with teaching beyond a school day where i can access my assignments online and turn them in when i'm finished, Multicultural learning allows me to do that. This is important because no child will ever be identical. For example if you have a child who shines through kinesthetic learning might not be great through visual. I think Multicultural is critical because we have come to learn there many different ways of learning. There is a famous quote by Albert Einstein, " Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” I want to emphasize that we are no longer living in the days where everybody learned sitting down reading a textbook. People like Mazarno have done research to show that students have different strengths. Another example is myself. I love interacting, writing but when i am assigned a math problem the regular person will take 1 min to answer it, I will take like 15 minutes. I would like to say that the multicultural learning plays a big part when I am doing math that it makes it possible for me to succeed in class. Most of my assignment are accessible online so I can take as long as i need to do my assignments and homework without it affecting me negatively. 

Another concept I believe is important is Text reading software. In the textbook the definition is allowing the computer users to hear written text read aloud by a computer,  This concept is interesting because not only does it help people with vision disabilities but any other person. This helps for example I do not know how to pronounce a certain word so the computer will pronounce it for you. It as well aids students in reading, perhaps it allows them to understand better or it reads at a faster pace. I think this is a great tool because there are times when i have to read an article online and staring at the computer screen for so long not only irritates me, but just makes it faster because I'm not constantly losing my place. Another thing that falls under this topic is word prediction. I can not emphasize the gratitude for this tool. this tool is the definition of efficiency. This helps students work faster and it helps with their spelling. I think this is important because where i believe word prediction occurs more is when texting. In my opinion this allows students to be aware of how to spell a word correctly and i feel like it provides sort of guidance on how to write. For example most kids would text ur instead of your or you're and teachers notice that they will start writing ur on their assignments. The word predictor i feel helps in avoiding that problem and prevents from having students fall under the habit of writing slang because it is faster.

Lastly what is another thing that technology has impacted in a students life is their writing. As the textbook describes many kids have trouble writing. They think it is for smart people, they feel pressured, get anxiety because they feel they wont write neat enough, their grammar, or their choice of words are not to the standards expected. Technology has allowed to reduce these issues students face when it comes to writing. Technology has simplified these by having spell check and grammar available. In programs such as in Microsoft Word, it underlines when one has made a mistake. It as well allows to fix mistakes faster and makes it look neat and it is legible. In many exams such as Fcat or SAT's  there is a written portion and it is extremely  difficult for me because I am pressured with a 30 minute time frame, and nothing to check if i spelled this correctly if the comma is where it is supposed to be. The number one worry for me is if the person who will be scoring me can read my paper. I as well worry that my hand writing might be too big so my writing will not have enough space. Its not just in major exams but as well in the classroom. When I am able to write using technology it simplifies my writing process. I am sure many students feel the same way. 

 

Resources:

 ABCYA. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015. 

 

21st Century Education. (2012, May 7). Retrieved October 14, 2015.

 

Gazoz5 on DeviantArt. (2012, March 21). Retrieved October 14, 2015. 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

 

Digital Blog #F - Ch 8

Picture by: Pixbay

Chapter 8 focuses on ways to communicate and collaborating with social media. I think that knowing how to communicate with your students and for them to feel comfortable asking questions and approaching one as a teacher is one of the most vital things when one is an educator. Being a teacher means so much more than providing them with knowledge. It is what you do after you give the lecture, do you make sure the student understood the concept? How do you make sure? How well are you communicating? Do they have sufficient time to learn the material? All these questions can have solutions when one communicates. I feel like the most important concepts from chapter 8 are teaching beyond the school day, email and text messaging and lastly the importance of knowing the difference of a website and blog to see what fits your students better.

Teaching beyond the school day is a concept that i value very much. This concept is saying that whatever the teacher did not have enough time for in class the student can access it online outside of school. Not only is it things that teachers did not have time for but for homework assignments or in class work that she assigned that as a student you did not finish. All these thing can become available online and accessed. As a teacher one can feel confident about time and flexibility and students usually feel the same since there is no pressure of having to finish it in class. For example as a high school and college student there is nothing better than being able to access things outside of school. There are many programs that allow us to do these things such as Canvas our school website where most things are posted.Assignments, Homework, Or another one such as Mylabsplus or in high school there are programs such as Edmodo. Let me tell you there is nothing better than having that extra time to do your work. Especially because it is as one's pace so I tend to learn more, Also I do things when I feel most inspired which is at three in the morning, With the concept of teaching beyond the school day this is possible. I can access the directions how many times I want, the minute I finish I can turn it in. This concept is truly the best things. When doing things at home or outside of school as a student I as well have the opportunity to realize if I actually understood the material. The flexibility of this concept is something I love and will forever value.

A second concept I think is important using email and text messaging. These form of communication are amazing. It makes things efficient and nowadays efficiency is what we like. According to the text 92% of adults are using the computer for email, and text messaging for people 55 years and older is increasing. Texting to kids and adolescents is the main form of communication. The text reveals that 3,339 text are sent a month. With technology increasing these two things as form of communication are convenient and an educator can take advantage of these things. I feel like this connects a little with the concept of teaching outside of school because let's say that for example a student is home doing the homework and they feel like they do not understand they can easily shoot a text and or an email to the teacher and can can get their question answered within seconds. Also as an educator one wants to make sure that a student has all the resources to be successful and finish their work at their full potential. Another thing that text brings up when it talks about texting that is important is the grammar and if texting is really helping the situation. Many times when texting students will abbreviate things like your to ur and some belief it impedes them from using them from using the correct grammar in school. One thing that a teacher can do is instead of banning cellphone use and texting in class they can encourage and encourage them to use better spelling and grammar. The book puts it as creating meaningful experiences and a more cooperative environment.

Lastly another way that teachers and student can communicate is using websites and blogs. I feel that as a student it increases writing skills and keeps them up to date with the teacher and what the expectations or any announcement and or discussions. What is the difference between Websites and blogs? I think this concept is something worth discussing because before getting into this class I never really knew the difference and my view on things have changed a little. The difference between a blog and website is that a blog is more personal and is more informal such as thin one. It speaks more about the individual's opinion. A website is more formal and doesn't have as much as an informal tone, or is as opinionated. Although they do share many features a website can be used for something like having class schedules it is more likely that in a blog there would be discussions going on and responses it can sometime be considered a bit more social.I think knowing the difference is important because as an educator one must know how to connect best with the kids. There are many types of communication but a teacher has to see which one works best.

Free Image on Pixabay - Texting, Icon, Talking, Text, Box. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2015.

Gonzalez, I. (2015, October 8). Communication By: IlianaG97. Retrieved October 8, 2015.Maloy, 

Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education,

Inc.

Digital Blog #E- Chapter 7

Picture By- PixaBay

When it comes to talking about Games and Learning usually most would believe they are two different categories or fall on opposite side of the spectrum. Chapter 7 problem solving with software, Apps and Games gives different perspectives of what a usual person would think about these two topics. Three concepts that are worth discussing are the debates that go on about games and gaming, the way some computer system act as tutors, and lastly the positives of a stimulation game.

 I want to begin by discussing the debates that go on between games and gaming. A statistic provided by the textbook is that the video game industry has grown to be 10.5 billion dollars. Parents and even some teachers believe that video games and computers are taking away from the child’s learning because they are a distraction. Also studies have shown that kids lack some social skills. On the other hand others think there is a lot of value in video games and computer programs because they provide and promote science math and have historical content. I feel like in these things there should be a balance not too much time in playing video games and not just making the child read and write for everything they do. I believe there should be boundaries. I think the question I struggle with is when does one know when and how to set boundaries to the child? In my opinion I feel like a child is not just learning science or historical content in video games but they are learning hand coordination and in video games most of the time there are instructions a child has to follow, and it as well teaches children accomplishing goals because that’s the whole idea of a video game to see if one can make it to the next level. I as well believe that even though it can provide benefits video games can only cover so much and a child needs to be able to put the video games away and read a book or read a chapter from their science book and do some math problems. Video games will not go into so much depth. Finding a balance where a child is absorbing information both ways is good, it helps them enjoy learning and not get bored. But I also believe if he or she is spending all the time on the computer it impacts their social skills to the lack of interaction and many things in these games are not focused in promoting educational content they might have some educational information but some are based on violence and some sexual themes, which as an educator I don’t want one of my students thinking it is okay to act certain ways because they saw it on their video game; that is not the goal. Ultimately it is the balance not too much behind a screen playing halo but not making a child do everything old fashioned style.

On that note I want to discuss an educational way that a child can use the computer, this is called Intelligent Tutoring system. The definition in the text book are powerful, new software programs that promote inquiry learning through computer responses to student actions. The program will evaluate what the child knows and what they need to improve in. In my opinion kids learn a lot through these type of programs. For example currently in my math course the homework assignments are online. You have to solve the problem but the program gives options to see if you understand. It allows me to have a help option or give an example on how to solve the equations. The program as well lets me know if I got the answer right and when the answer is wrong it gives an explanation. Through this program I have so far passed my test and quizzes and therefore I strongly believe in Intelligent Tutoring system. Not all the tutoring systems are like my homework assignments but if it is modeled in this certain way it can achieve a brand new level of comprehension to a child, or young adult. I believe this type of programs are successful, because it doesn’t only impact a child but many courses in college such as biology or math have an Intelligent Tutoring System that helps the student study and reinforce what they do not understand.

Lastly ending a concept that as well impacts everyone all ages is a stimulation game. A stimulation game is in a simple definition is a game where the player is in maybe a real world situation and stumble upon conflict in which they have to figure out and know the consequences of the decisions they took. In this type of game stealth learning is going on. Stealth learning is when one learns and do not realize that they are.  This is another concept I feel a teacher can incorporate technology have the child learn without making the child think that they are actually learning. I want to give an example, in my business class there is a stimulation game which we have played in the past. The concept of the game was to market a product and service. In order to market the product or service the player had to conduct interviews and basically do the research before they can actually begin to market. The concept of the game was of course different than of a child’s but the feature of stealth learning was there. From that stimulation games the class learned some skills in how to go about when approaching people and conducting interviews. This type of game has many benefits first of because when you make a child think they really aren’t doing work and they're just playing a game it is a win win. This is because as an educator you can get through a child and make sure he or she is learning and as the student it isn’t a concept forced upon you. Therefore stimulation games are a really great thing to add in a lesson plan and overall have a win win. 

CHAPTER7 - Created with Haiku Deck, presentation software that inspires

 Can Video Games Make You Smarter? (2014, January 19). Retrieved September 30, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOsqkQytHOs

 

Free Image on Pixabay - Girl, Books, School, Reading. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015.

 Free Image on Pixabay - Player, Video Game, Boy, Computer. (n.d.). Retrieved September 30, 2015. 

 G, I. (2015, September 29). CHAPTER7. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from https://www.haikudeck.com/p/9ed8PixncR/chapter7

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, In

Digital Blog #D- Chapter 5

  Photo By: Algot Runeman- Flickr

In chapter 5 the focus is on teaching information literacy and digital citizenship in grades K-12. I think one never stops learning about this stuff because currently in this class I am picking up and learning many things by reading and actually putting to use what is being read which a big part of learning is. In this chapter three concepts that I’m still learning about or found amusing are, The ways the internet is affecting reading, search engines and their dominance, and lastly a super vital one which is plagiarism and cheating.

One concept that was an eye opener for me was the fact that internet is affecting reading. E-books according to the text are books that can be read digitally on a computer device known as an E-Reader. There are also many reading apps that this can be achieved by. The text as well mentioned statistics saying that 40 percent of 1200 e-reader buyers spend more time reading now than ever before with regular books. Another fact was that students improved academically when they began reading from an E book. To me this was crazy. What was even crazier is companies and authors ant to publish books electronically. This is brand new to me, I never realized the market for this was big. Even though this is a big market and students have improved academically, I do not agree with what is happening. I did take time to ponder upon this concept because I do believe in technology especially if it is for the better but I think actually having the physical book is important. I am not a doctor but I think that it is too much technology, and it will affect a child’s vision. Quite honestly I have seen so many more kids with glasses now than ever before. There is nothing wrong with a regular book I think that is something technology doesn’t need to take over. I think that the physical book and being able to learn something without using technology is what I find unique about it.

Another concept I liked was the power of search engines. I want to begin by saying Google. Who has not heard of this search engine? It is the most used search engine worldwide I believe. I always wonder and I am sure I am not the only one, what was life before google? Google is search engine. A search engine is used to receive information from the internet, it accesses this information from data bases. According to the text 90% of adults use search engines to look up information. I agree completely because I use google every single day and I know for a fact that in my high school everyone else does too. This is how we look up information when we need to do a paper or a homework assignment that requires a little outside knowledge. Google I feel is the most successful search engines there is out there. There are other search engines such as Yahoo and Bing. Search engines are what makes the internet so accessible. I think about other ways where one can retrieve information besides books, and search engines are used more. Search engines are there to help collect data that we need.

Lastly, the last concept I think is important for kids and teens to learn and be aware is plagiarism and cheating. Although these things may seem that they are the same but they are not. Plagiarism is directly copying and misrepresenting someone else’s work and making it seem like it is yours. One must give recognition. Cheating according to the text involves using technology to access information without permission before or during a test or sending information about a test to other students before or during exam. I think the most important thing that contribute to high school cheating is incorrect assumptions by students. This means the students plagiarize without realizing.  I believe that this is a huge problem. All my life I have stolen pictures from google and copied and paste little did I know I was plagiarizing. I found out until this year in taking this course. I feel like these type of things need to be taught in high school so students know this information going onto college.  I feel that if a student is taught how to correctly get information most plagiarizing issues will be a lot less.  It is important because hen entering college without knowing this information a student can actually get kicked out of a course, even if they didn’t think it was plagiarizing. It is a serious issue and I feel passionate about students learning correctly how to access information.

Kahoot! | Play this quiz now!

https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/23d56add-732b-42c9-9e56-92aeca20ab8b

Gonzalez, I. (2015, September 24). Kahoot! | Play this quiz now! Retrieved September 24, 2015, from https://play.kahoot.it/#/k/23d56add-732b-42c9-9e56-92aeca20ab8b

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

The punishable perils of plagiarism - Melissa Huseman D'Annunzio (YouTube)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrjoaaIxaJI

Google. (n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2015, from http://www.google.com/

Badge #C - Chapter 3

Picture By: Tuchodi - Flickr 

In the book we are described by The People Learn Series  as “ Goal- Directed agents who actively seek information.” We wake up every day with a goal in mind to be able to achieve something. We are aware that to attain it we must learn and educate ourselves. Therefore this is why I am in this class to educate myself on how to become a 21^st century teacher. Kids are just like adults their current goals are not as big but as an educator we need to understand this child has goals maybe not as big but we are giving the child knowledge to apply in the world when they have their goals. The child also seeks information when something intrigues them. For example if they want to know why their tooth fell, they are seeking information because that is their current goal; to figure out why their tooth came out. Which brings me into three concepts that I found interesting the two types of learning, four teaching methods, and lastly online problem solving environments.

Something I am passionate about is to understand how a child thinks, so I can achieve the concept of teaching. Active learning is vital to a child. "Active Learning means the students are physically and cognitively involved in the learning process, personally doing something to compare and contrast ideas and information rather than just listening or watching videos or reading.” I feel this will always be the greatest way for a child to learn because it is not going through one ear and going out the other, They are not watching a video where they just stare at it pretending to understand or pay attention to it and even read and not understand or reflect on what they have learned. I believe that with the concept active learning it engages the child, therefore they understand and as an educator you can try to figure out where the child can improve. I have been, for a school project,asking questions to students in different technical areas to understand what is that they enjoy from the program they are taking and the answer always is the hands on learning. One thing I came across while looking up examples of active learning was IXL. This program engages students and provides explanations so the student knows where they stand, I believe this form of engagement using technology is a good example of active learning.
  Another method is metacognitive where the child reflects on what they know or do not know, to understand where they stand and what it is they need to learn. Reflection is important because in my believe it is good to think back and gather up and make even more sense of what was learned, it gives time to digest information.

The second concept I chose was methods to engage students. The four methods are One-on-One tutoring, Learning groups, Inquiry learning, metacognitive learning. To me the most important is the One-to-One tutoring. I think this is it because as a teacher teaching to a group might work for some and maybe an individual might not understand but the lesson at that point needs to keep moving forward. I feel that it is important to give that one student or student’s that one on one so they are able to keep up. I know that kids do not learn at the same speed. Working in an after school program I do see this. For example I might explain their homework and there is always a handful who do not understand what it is they are supposed to be doing. I explain once more or a lot more and there are kids who just need that one on one and it is important because if that is not provided the child will not learn. Making them fall behind. Ultimately I believe that every kid needs an opportunity to have one on one to see where they stand and as an educator see where we need to focus more.

Lastly, I want to reflect on online learning environments. A child should be able to achieve this by playing educational games and interactive simulations. Online learning I think can happen by playing games, sometimes the child does not realize they are learning because they are enjoying it so much. I remember as a kid I will play coolmathgames for kids. I would play a game called bloxorz which is game where the purpose was to get a cube through a hole using certain patterns. Little did I know I was being a problem solver. I was being challenged and wanted to find a solution. I find this important because when a child is using the internet it shouldn’t just to be on social media or play on friv but it should be to grasp skills such as problem solving skills. I know that there are environments online where this can be achieved.

Kahoot! | Play this quiz now!

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. 

 

IXL Classroom Spotlight: Town & Country Christian Academy. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2015. 

Badge #B EME 2040 - Chapter 2

Photo by Jennifer Ludwig - EMAZE

Chapter 2, Understanding Educational Technology Issues and Trends, provides us with information that as a 21st century educators we must know because we can encounter many problems while trying to incorporate technology into the lesson. While reading this chapter three concepts stood out to me the most, the categories Digital Natives and Digital Immigrants, Teaching Philosophy and Lastly Digital Divides and Gaps.

I would like to talk about what digital natives and Digital Immigrants means. Marc Prensky has classified these group based "how children and adolescents develop literacy with technology in ways different from those of older adults." This means if you grew up using interactive computer you are a Digital Native, if you did not you are a Digital Immigrant.  The book provides such a great example of how different these two categories are. The book says that two college students set up a computer by trial and error as where a Digital Immigrant would have to read the instructions. I think this is so fascinating. In my opinion as a Digital Native things are much simpler to understand as supposed to someone who is a Digital Immigrant and is trying to become a 21rst century teacher. I think about how true this is because I have common knowledge on how technology work because I was born into it, however my parents who are Digital Immigrants would have such great difficulty and frustration trying to figure out why the Wi-Fi is not working or setting up a computer or downloading an app or program. Things like that to a Digital Native is easy to understand, the book also addresses the students perspective and teachers actions. The student perspective part explains that basically they achieve their knowledge by their electronic and computer environment. According to the text "They are less inclined to learn using the traditional school-based literacies of book reading and writing on paper." As a high school student that is very true. I rather type something up then write it down, if I am asked to do a presentation I automatically think Microsoft PowerPoint. There is nothing in my mind that tells me grab paper and pencil unless I am solving a math problem. As a teacher I think it is important to understand that that’s how kids function. No student will say they will do a presentation using paper and pencil that is out of the question.

Another concept that was interesting to me is having a teaching Philosophy. Your teaching philosophy determines how one will teach using technology. There are two types of teaching philosophy it’s either teacher centered or student centered. Teacher centered is giving knowledge to students who might not know. This type of philosophy uses scores and grades to determine if the child has learned or not. Student centered "they view teaching as orchestrating different experiences with the students." This philosophy engages students in discussions and results in the student discovering themselves and their skills. As a 21^st century educator I would use both philosophies because I want my students to learn my knowledge and give a quick lecture but I want them to engage. Not everything has to be based on scores from test and assignments. I would like to use Blended learning which in my opinion is using both philosophies. I would like to follow the example of P. K. Young Developmental Research School.

 In this school they have been able to integrate technology successfully while still keeping the in class lectures with teachers, but with the way the teachers decided to use the technology is what makes it student centered. I would like my philosophy to be able to reach all kids because every single student is different and an educator needs to be flexible and understanding.

Lastly I have to bring up the concept of digital divides and participation gaps. Educators call it this because the use of technology is not accessible to everyone throughout society. When there are things like kids having no access to new technology this affects or factors into their academic achievement. As a teacher one has to find new ways to help a student so they can really work to their full potential. I am extremely passionate about things like this. I want to teach in a place where I know people really do need the help. For example I work in after school program in the golden gate area which is of low income. Some not all kids, do not have access to internet or computers or technology at home. I believe this definitely limits them and their knowledge compared to a child who does have access to these things at home. I think it is extremely important to find ways to help the student.  A teacher is not just there to stand and give a lecture. A teacher is there to make sure that their students are learning and are working at their full potential and figure out what is one needs to do to make it happen.

Flip Me Quiz

Blended Learning: Making it Work in Your Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015.

 Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.