Digital Blog Post #I

Picture By : Pixabay

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.