Well, assessment is a teacher's middle name, isn't it? It is certainly an integrated portion of everything that happens in a classroom! And since I have a fondness for technology, technology-based assessment is right up my alley. In fact, my son's school only posts high school grades online, having done away with paper report cards...and I am perfectly happy with that! I have used the clickers that were presented in Week 15's lecture while participating in a focus study and I think that they could be a fun way to test students. At least, they could pull a positive response from a kid going into a test and maybe that alone could help them. It definitely could save time for a teacher! As far as rubrics as they are presented in Week 15's lecture, I can see how something this detailed would prevent argument over grades given, as well as give the students very specific goals to meet in their assignments. This seems to be something very suited to upper grade levels. The last tool presented was the Inspiration/Kidspiration methodology. Just from what I saw on the website, I am not sure that I would want to use this. Some of it looks interesting, but seems a little more complex than I would be happy using. Some of the facets of it were things I would like to use, but some of it seemed like an assault on the senses that would actually make someone like me, with ADD, more frustrated. Honestly, I would have to see it in a classroom setting over some time to make an objective assessment.
Over the course of this course, I have been introduced to quite a few technological tools that really brightened the prospect of teaching for me! As I said, I have a fondness for technology, and I can't wait to present some lessons to actual students that will be fun as well as educational! I already have plans for using Publisher and I also would like to try having my students create their own blogs for a class. Studying the copyright issues helped to allay some of my fears about using some of these tools, and helped me to better understand what to be careful of when using them. That is very helpful. Powerpoint seems to be very popular with students these days and can make for a great learning tool, and it is something I intend to make use of, too. Also, looking at wikis helped me to better understand how they work, and I think they could be very useful in the classroom. After that week, I did a little research on Wikipedia and how it is handled, and now I am not as afraid of using it as I was. Previously, I had frequently heard about how unreliable it is, but have since learned that it isn't exactly as people fear it is. While people CAN add to it, everything added is researched by people who work there...and it only becomes a permanent part of the site if it is proven. With all of these tools crammed into one semester, it has been a full course! But this class has opened up all kinds of options for me to use in the classroom. Thanks for that! This was well worth my time, money and effort! :-)
Monday, November 28, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
learning about: Technology Application Standards
The TEK I have chosen: Subchapter C. High School
| §126.24. | Desktop Publishing (One Credit) Desktop Publishing is something that can be used in a lot of different subjects. My son did a Desktop Publishing project in his English class just this semester. Even if it is learned in a Technology class, it is a skill that can be incorporated into so many areas of life...and while in school, into so many different subjects! §110.52. Creative Writing (One-Half to One Credit) (b) Knowledge and skills (2) The student selects and uses recursive writing processes for self-initiated and assigned writing. The student is expected to: (F) frequently refines selected pieces to publish for general and specific audiences;This seems like a great place to incorporate Desktop Publishing! I think it would be a lot of fun for the students to produce a cover page of a newspaper set back in Shakespeare's time while we are studying his works. This may be a cop-out in a way, but it's awfully difficult to say that any one TEK is most important. They are connected to one another in many ways, and build one upon another frequently. It seems to me that it is more a case of building one skill which opens the door to being able to build another skill. The students will be at different levels technologically and so I will need to keep that in mind and make sure that I meet each student's needs at whatever level they exhibit skill. Having the Technology Applications Standards where I can refer to them is very helpful, however. As long as I continue to refer to that, I can make sure that I incorporate the proper technology applications. |
Friday, November 4, 2011
Cold November...brrr!
It's November and Thanksgiving is around the corner! I love the warmth and coziness of a day off spent with family. Taking a moment to review what I have learned in ETEC, and I find that I am pleased with the results so far. :-) What a nice feeling...and something else to add to my list of things to be thankful for! The more skills that I am able to add to my repertoire, the better teacher I will be...and the more I will be able to influence my future students. That is very important to me.
This past week, we learned about Glogster. It is a highly creative tool and something that I can absolutely see myself incorporating into my classroom! It's fun, takes some thought, and very versatile. This seems like something that would be a natural in a room full of middle school or high school students. I can't wait to work with students using it!
I hope your Turkey Day is as pleasant as I intend for mine to be!
This past week, we learned about Glogster. It is a highly creative tool and something that I can absolutely see myself incorporating into my classroom! It's fun, takes some thought, and very versatile. This seems like something that would be a natural in a room full of middle school or high school students. I can't wait to work with students using it!
I hope your Turkey Day is as pleasant as I intend for mine to be!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
The Catch-up and the Wrap-up on ETEC
Wow! There is a lot that I have been trying to comprehend and get comfortable with in ETEC. I felt like I was fairly computer literate before, but this class has introduced me to some new things, and allowed me to work with and get comfortable with some that I knew about but hadn't previously tried out. Take wikis for example: I knew what they were, but I hadn't tried to make my knowledge personal. I can see a HUGE potential for wikis as a teaching tool now! I'm very technology-minded, so this is like finding a whole new playroom in the house that you didn't know existed!
Social bookmarking is another tool that fits right into what I already do. I do as was talked about: I add tons of sites to my Favorites list and then occasionally I cull them out. This is an awesome way to organize and make sites more useful. Frequently, I can remember something about a site, but can't find the actual site when I need it, so this was a welcome addition to my repertoire of web knowledge.
As far as ePortfolios go, I can see how they could be useful. However, I am 48 years old, and so far, I have yet to go to an interview where they wanted to see such a thing. Maybe as technology progresses, or if I interview for a position as a tech teacher, I will be able to use it to showcase my abilities. I intend to keep working on mine after this class, though, because it really IS a good way to pull it all together and present a professional face.
We learned about Multiple Intelligences and Bloom's Taxonomy last week and created a lesson plan utilizing both. In some ways, this is information that am familiar with, even though it hasn't been presented exactly as each of these were presented. To me, a lot of this is common sense, but lining it out like this makes it much more usable. Having specific learning styles listed out makes it easier to make sure you are incorporating it into your lesson plans.
Well, that's kind of a catch-up on what is happening in class and what we are learning. I am excited about incorporating these tools into a classroom setting. Having raised three kids, I can speak from personal experience and tell you that how kids learn today is very different from how I learned in school. My youngest is 16 and his education is very different from his older siblings in just the short amount of time that they are separated. He is more technologically bound and I cannot imagine successfully teaching him and his peers without incorporating technological tools. The wrap-up on all of this is that I look forward to the future with eagerness! (And I didn't even mention digital story-telling, which is something I am VERY excited about using!)
Social bookmarking is another tool that fits right into what I already do. I do as was talked about: I add tons of sites to my Favorites list and then occasionally I cull them out. This is an awesome way to organize and make sites more useful. Frequently, I can remember something about a site, but can't find the actual site when I need it, so this was a welcome addition to my repertoire of web knowledge.
As far as ePortfolios go, I can see how they could be useful. However, I am 48 years old, and so far, I have yet to go to an interview where they wanted to see such a thing. Maybe as technology progresses, or if I interview for a position as a tech teacher, I will be able to use it to showcase my abilities. I intend to keep working on mine after this class, though, because it really IS a good way to pull it all together and present a professional face.
We learned about Multiple Intelligences and Bloom's Taxonomy last week and created a lesson plan utilizing both. In some ways, this is information that am familiar with, even though it hasn't been presented exactly as each of these were presented. To me, a lot of this is common sense, but lining it out like this makes it much more usable. Having specific learning styles listed out makes it easier to make sure you are incorporating it into your lesson plans.
Well, that's kind of a catch-up on what is happening in class and what we are learning. I am excited about incorporating these tools into a classroom setting. Having raised three kids, I can speak from personal experience and tell you that how kids learn today is very different from how I learned in school. My youngest is 16 and his education is very different from his older siblings in just the short amount of time that they are separated. He is more technologically bound and I cannot imagine successfully teaching him and his peers without incorporating technological tools. The wrap-up on all of this is that I look forward to the future with eagerness! (And I didn't even mention digital story-telling, which is something I am VERY excited about using!)
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Digital copyrights, fair use, etc.
In ETEC this week, we studied copyrights as pertaining to digital things. I can't say I was entirely aware of fair use, even though I had some vague idea of it. It's a little more important to me now that I am studying to be a teacher! What a relief to understand it a little better. A lot of the information seemed to be double-talk. It seemed like the authors of the articles were trying to simplify things, but it was my understanding that the rules are still developing, and that kind of complicates things!But I previously only had a nebulous notion of how a copyright worked, and how it works with digital information is quite another thing!
Looking at cyberbullying was interesting. I am pretty aware of all of that, having a teenager in the house. Besides, my two adult children aren't that old, and dealing with internet use has been a big part of my household for awhile now. It's scary to think that it gets so out of hand! Some kids use that as an escape from what they deal with at school, and it's downheartening to see how it can be used against them. I don't think a lot of parents monitor their kids computer usage very closely, though. At least, I think they are under the impression that they are, but a lot of these kids are so much more adept at it than my generation...and they know how to hide it when they want to.
Netiquette is really just common sense and politeness in digital format. Being online requires that kind of behavior just as if a person was actually in the room with you.
This was very informative. I saved some of the sites about copyrights so I can refer to them later on when I really need them! Oh! And I thought that site about cyberbullying was a great site to use with kids!
Looking at cyberbullying was interesting. I am pretty aware of all of that, having a teenager in the house. Besides, my two adult children aren't that old, and dealing with internet use has been a big part of my household for awhile now. It's scary to think that it gets so out of hand! Some kids use that as an escape from what they deal with at school, and it's downheartening to see how it can be used against them. I don't think a lot of parents monitor their kids computer usage very closely, though. At least, I think they are under the impression that they are, but a lot of these kids are so much more adept at it than my generation...and they know how to hide it when they want to.
Netiquette is really just common sense and politeness in digital format. Being online requires that kind of behavior just as if a person was actually in the room with you.
This was very informative. I saved some of the sites about copyrights so I can refer to them later on when I really need them! Oh! And I thought that site about cyberbullying was a great site to use with kids!
Friday, September 23, 2011
MAPping in ETEC
Well, I have to say that this week in ETEC has been an enlightening one! Before I started this lesson, I thought I was fairly competent out there on the internet and surfing the web. That Information Literacy Quiz gave me a Moderately Savvy score, but as far as I was concerned, it showed me just how much I DIDN'T know! I searched like a lot of people seem to search: get on google.com or yahoo.com and see what you get. Since I've been in college, I have been learning to use the school's library sites and databases. That has added to my searching repertoire, and I knew that .org and .edu and such were more credible, but if I worried about whether something was true or fake, I just did another search asking that.
Now that I've gone through all these MAPping activities, I am kind of relieved to know that there are places to go to learn more about a particular website -- places like easywhois.com and altavista.com, and the Wayback Machine at archive.org is amazing! I don't think I will change just light searching, but if I am concerned about the truthfulness of a site, or if I am going to base an argument on proof I have found online, or once I am teaching, if I want to give a site to my students, then I will definitely search it out first.
Everything I have learned in this lesson will absolutely have a positive effect on my teaching AND my future students. It's just too easy to give a wrong website these days. I certainly don't want to be guilty of giving out false information to students or sending them to an inappropriate site that is similar to what I am intending. If I have tools like these at my disposal, I can doublecheck online when I am preparing for my class and be confident in the information that I am opening up to them. And since this has been a concern to me in putting together papers of my own as well as a concern for future teaching, this is a weight lifted! I feel much more confidant in filtering and finding the information that I need.
Now that I've gone through all these MAPping activities, I am kind of relieved to know that there are places to go to learn more about a particular website -- places like easywhois.com and altavista.com, and the Wayback Machine at archive.org is amazing! I don't think I will change just light searching, but if I am concerned about the truthfulness of a site, or if I am going to base an argument on proof I have found online, or once I am teaching, if I want to give a site to my students, then I will definitely search it out first.
Everything I have learned in this lesson will absolutely have a positive effect on my teaching AND my future students. It's just too easy to give a wrong website these days. I certainly don't want to be guilty of giving out false information to students or sending them to an inappropriate site that is similar to what I am intending. If I have tools like these at my disposal, I can doublecheck online when I am preparing for my class and be confident in the information that I am opening up to them. And since this has been a concern to me in putting together papers of my own as well as a concern for future teaching, this is a weight lifted! I feel much more confidant in filtering and finding the information that I need.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
ETEC is getting me going....
Hi! I'm Lei Anne. Here I am, 48 years old, and finally learning about blogging!
My family is the most important aspect of my life. I am a wife, mother, and student. My husband is wonderful and supportive. My two oldest children are adults and my youngest just got his driver's license! Loki, my Boxer dog, thinks he is one of my children. I finally go to church because I want to. Gardening is one of my hobbies -- I love roses and hydrangeas and I'm learning about Rose of Sharon trees. A good murder mystery or Words With Friends is how I like to relax. Movies also get top-rated billing from me on the good-ways-to-relax list. And, after all these years, I am hoping to finish my degree and get my teacher certification...and that is where most of my time goes these days!
My ETEC class is really getting the ball rolling and teaching me about some technology that I was not previously that familiar with...like blogging! It's my belief that technology should be thoroughly integrated into classroom learning these days. Present-day students spend so much of their time communicating and socializing technologically that it is really more of a requirement of a successful teacher. How can you get a child's attention when you can't even speak their language?? My youngest son texts, plays video games, emails, skypes, chats, researches, and designs online. His textbooks are being transferred to a digital format and he reads for fun on his iPad. Many forms of technology are necessary for successful teaching today.
I am not yet familiar with which technologies have been successfully adapted to the classroom, but that is part of what I hope to learn through this class. It's one thing to do some of these things personally, but I imagine it is a little different when it is in a classroom setting and involves twenty to thirty students. This is the sort of thing I am expecting to learn in this class so that I can integrate it into my teaching methods when I am in the classroom.
My family is the most important aspect of my life. I am a wife, mother, and student. My husband is wonderful and supportive. My two oldest children are adults and my youngest just got his driver's license! Loki, my Boxer dog, thinks he is one of my children. I finally go to church because I want to. Gardening is one of my hobbies -- I love roses and hydrangeas and I'm learning about Rose of Sharon trees. A good murder mystery or Words With Friends is how I like to relax. Movies also get top-rated billing from me on the good-ways-to-relax list. And, after all these years, I am hoping to finish my degree and get my teacher certification...and that is where most of my time goes these days!
My ETEC class is really getting the ball rolling and teaching me about some technology that I was not previously that familiar with...like blogging! It's my belief that technology should be thoroughly integrated into classroom learning these days. Present-day students spend so much of their time communicating and socializing technologically that it is really more of a requirement of a successful teacher. How can you get a child's attention when you can't even speak their language?? My youngest son texts, plays video games, emails, skypes, chats, researches, and designs online. His textbooks are being transferred to a digital format and he reads for fun on his iPad. Many forms of technology are necessary for successful teaching today.
I am not yet familiar with which technologies have been successfully adapted to the classroom, but that is part of what I hope to learn through this class. It's one thing to do some of these things personally, but I imagine it is a little different when it is in a classroom setting and involves twenty to thirty students. This is the sort of thing I am expecting to learn in this class so that I can integrate it into my teaching methods when I am in the classroom.
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