Final Reflective Post

At the beginning of signing up for this class I was overall excited for starting my first education course since I changed my major from nursing to teaching. While in class I noticed familiar faces from previous courses I had taken. The class environment was great we all got along and with Mrs.Coleman as a teacher was great!

I learned many things about technology I was not aware of like blog posts, wikis, WebQuest, ePortfolio, how to create rubrics, how to critique a webpage and also engaged in doing more discussions online than previous courses. The one I enjoyed doing the most was the WebQuest since we had practiced it in class already. The textbook had valuable information that will be helpful in the future for your classroom. I feel like I overcame all the learning outcomes on the syllabus which is something I am very proud of, because I thought they would be a lot harder than it actually was. something I would've wanted to see more in class was more practice with technology as in the Microsoft  programs, but overall I am glad we learned about other websites we could use in the future. My favorite websites would have to be Bibme and Delicious. Bibme is great for those who don't know how to properly cite websites, books and etc. Delicious takes the trouble away from bookmarking a website to the toolbar of your computer and only being able to see it on that computer, I like this website because you can view your bookmarks everywhere without having to be on a specific device.

I am really glad I took this class because it expanded my knowledge of different technology websites that I can use with my students in the near future. Thank you Mrs. Coleman for taking the time to teach us and answering all our questions as soon as you could.

Resources:

 Untitled. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://worditout.com/word-cloud/1321590 

Digital Blog Post L- Chapter 12

Google Docs Presentation

While reading through chapter 12, one of the first things that caught my attention was the features of a technology- integrated classroom. A technology-integrated classroom is a "smart classroom". According to the reading these types of classes have computers, tablets connected to the Internet, a projector, DVD player, an interactive whiteboard and many other things. This part caught my attention because of all the different type of technological items located in the classroom. With technology advancing as fast as it is this type of class is great for teachers and students to get more involved with technology. It also says in the book both teachers and students are evaluated to see if the students are learning what they need and if the teacher is providing enough instructions to the students. 

Bring your own technology also known as BYOT or BYOD, has been integrated into many schools across the nation. This program allows students to bring their own technological items to class with them without getting in trouble. I think this is great because there are so many applications and games the teacher can play with the students through their devices without them having to be on a computer. One of these games that I learned was Kahoot along with many others, This is a fun way for students to interact with one another and the teacher while using technology they bring from home.

Lastly, I read about cooperative learning and group work. This is a great way for students to meet other students in the classroom other than the ones they already know. This forces students to communicate with one another. I am a huge fan about this at times, depending if you have the correct group members in your group. By having students work in small groups or pairs it lets the teacher walk around and provide more help to the group itself rather than the whole classroom where they can have the same questions or ideas and others who might not and are afraid of saying something. In group work there are many heads thinking so if the teacher would like them to do a presentation you usually have the really creative one and the rest the ones with the ideas. Overall group work is amazing for meeting new people and forcing one to talk and getting them out of their bundle of shyness. 

In conclusion, this chapter was great. I revisited some of the things I had already learned prior to reading the chapter and learned others I had no idea about. Technology is moving so rapidly that we need to learn as much as we can now for when it will eventually be more integrated into our lives than it is 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.

Digital Blog Post K- Chapter 4

Digital Blog Post J-Chapter 11

Digital Blog Post # I- Chapter 6

Digital Blog post H- Chapter 9

Digital Blog Post #G - Chapter 10

KAHOOT 

While reading the first thing that caught my attention was Multicultural Education. In the book it says that James Banks (2009, pp 3, 7) that all students, regardless of their gender, social class, and ethnic, racial, or cultural characteristics. I agree with this 100% because I believe despite who you are and how you are everyone should be treated equally. Coming to this country at a young age I didn't know any English and it was difficult but everyone treated me equally and it was a huge part of my life growing up being accepted by others rather than being know as the new foreign girl.


There are so many online language translation services that its great. Many people come from different countries that have difficulty learning our language. Some go straight to school, this is easy for kids to learn a new language because they are so young but it's difficult for older people. Thankfully there are many translation services available that are extremely helpful in any situation. Google translate is one that I use on a daily bases since I know two languages it's sometimes hard for me to translate to the other.

 Lastly I read about assistive technology that is to help people with disabilities. With today's technology so much has developed and there are so many new great things to help children and adults develop their learning if they have a disability. Some of the technology provided for people with learning disabilities are speech recognition software, text reading software and many other great things. I believe that throughout the years many of these will be more advanced than what they are today.

In conclusion, this chapter really impacted me because it has so many great points and I can relate to some of the things pointed out. I've used many of the programs it offers for help. There are so many great people in this world and to think that some other people think they are not should not be tolerated. Everyone is equal despite their disability, race, color, ethnicity or culture no matter anything we should all be treated equally.

Resources:
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 #F- Chapter 8

Digital Blog post #E chapter 7

 

Digital Blog Post D- Chapter 5

 

                                         KAHOOT


   Conducting online information searches is highly used in today's society, for quite some time actually. While reading chapter 5 one of the concepts I came across was conducting online information searches which we use everyday. Back then before technology got to where it is now people would go to a library and check out some books and read through about 100 pages for just one thing. When you go online to search for articles or simply information on someone it takes you directly to where you can find what you need, this is called information search and retrieval. However, not all pages online are accurate so the teacher will need to know which websites are safe for his or her students are going to use.

   With today's technology note-taking is much easier online for everyone than writing them down. While reading I learned that there is a website that can be used to take your notes online and research paper writing. Writing notes down can be a hassle and sometimes can get lost as well. You can access your notes online from a PC, tablet or phone and simply don't have to worry if you lost them or the old excuse "my dog ate my homework/paper". This is helpful because some teachers ask you for your notes and you can simply email it to them instead of worrying if they're misplaced or not.

  Accuracy, Authority, Objectivity, Currency, and Coverage best known as AAOCC, is a way someone can evaluate a website. While there are many websites that can be used to research papers for school, there are many websites that provide fake information. The AAOCC is to determine whether the websites you are using meet all five criteria and it is safe for students to use. This is some critical information because many of the students just click on the first page they see and sometimes that page is the one giving the wrong information.

  In conclusion, this chapter provides very important information that helps teachers and parents in the near future.It also talks about the importance of research and how to determine if a website can be used or not.


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 #C- chapter 3

 

While reading chapter 3, one of the many things that caught my attention were the four methods to engage students. The four methods to engage students are one-on-one tutoring, learning groups, inquiry learning, and metacognitive thinking. My two favorite ones would have to be inquiry learning and metacognitive thinking. If i'd have to choose between those two I would definitely pick metacognitive thinking because the students can examine their own learning methods through self-explanation and self-evaluation. This is a great way for students to be more engaged in their learning and have them critique themselves rather than the teacher doing it.

    Ahh,feedback. I think that one of the greatest things ever excited is feedback, whether we get it from our loved ones or simply anyone in that matter. Feedback is such an important part of anything and everything you do, it allows you to know if you are on the road to success or simply off track. Feedback is as important in a classroom as much as your workplace. Students like to hear what they are doing right or wrong and how can they make it better. I would like for my classmates, colleges and students to tell me whether I'm doing something right or wrong. Someones feedback is important to have, if it's something bad you can't get mad because they're doing it to better help you. Feedback is wanted everywhere, online, at stores, on cellphones and on everything.

   One last thing I read about was creative ideas through social media. Everywhere we go everyone is either on their phone or laptops/computers. We are all sucked into technology, it's a part of our every day life. Some schools have a strict policy on cell phone use. Does it have to be like that? I think that teachers and students should be able to communicate and interact with technology. Teachers now from the moment you start school your on a computer learning things you had no idea about. I feel as if students would be more interested in learning through a fun power-point or anything interesting in that matter. Sure you can have a text book heavy day once a week but everyday students wouldn't want to be there or might even fall asleep. Social media is such a big part of us that we all need to learn how to incorporate it in our classroom and workplace.

  In conclusion, I read many different topics on chapter 3 and I can say my favorite one was about feedback. Students should be engaged in everything the teacher does whether it's by technology or not. We all need feedback and most importantly to know how to use technology. Technology has become a great part of our lives and everyday we learn something new. Everyday technology develops more and more.

Digital Blog Post B- Chapter 2

While reading chapter 2, I did not know that people are identified under groups of technology users. The different type of groups are the digital collaborator, ambivalent networker, media mover, roving node, desktop veteran, drifting surfer, information encumbered, mobile newbie and technology indifferent. There's also an online quiz that you can participate and it's based on these categories called "What Kind of Tech User Are You?' by going to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. I believe I fall into the digital collaborator. I use my cellphone ad computer for everything and anything whether if it's for school or my job. I feel as if I would be one of the teachers that would incorporate technology in the classrooms due to that kids seem to learn more through a device.

Another concept that caught my eye and one which I think should be used more often was "Developing lessons and Engaging students"A survey provided by "Project Tomorrow" concluded that technology is a powerful way to motivate and engage students. Technology has developed so much in such a shortage of time it's amazing. I personally think teachers should engage with students more with technology whether it's an assignment online or an app teachers can use to control what the students do in the classrooms with their devices. If teachers incorporate more technology I believe the students will be more engaged and will enjoy more an assignment, project or anything in general. It's not fun to always read from the book.

Lastly another concept that I enjoyed reading about was "Your teaching Philosophy". There are two types of of teaching philosophies which are Teacher-centered and Student- centered. I lean more towards the student- centered, because i think teachers should interact with students more, ask them questions and engage with them. Teachers should be one on one with their students, once a week meet with them and see the part where they need more help with and be sure to provide the help they need.

In conclusion, I enjoyed this chapter very much, I learned somethings I didn't know and somethings that will be helpful in the future. Technology's a big part of us whether we like it or not. I think technology can be a great thing and since it's given to us freely might as well learn what it has to offer and do your best with it. There are many things I still don't know very well but I am interested in learning more about how to use it and incorporate it in my classroom in the future.


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 #A - Chapter 1

While reading chapter one, something that caught my eye right off the bat was "iGeneration". By iGeneration according to our book is students between the ages 8 to 18 years old have grown up using computers, Internet, and other digital media on a daily basis, whether it's at school or at home. According to research made 95% of 12 to 17-year-olds are online and 80% of them are use sites such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram (Lenhart, Madden, Smith, Purcell, Zickuhr, and Rainie, 2011). Since there is such a high percentage of kids using technology, I think it is only right that it'd be incorporated in classrooms as well. As the years go by technology just takes bigger a bigger impact on everyone, so might as well learn all the wonders it brings.

The second thing that caught my attention was that teachers have their own technology-based library! How cool is that? The technology-based library is an internet-accessible computer with social bookmarking tools that gives teachers a vast collection of curriculum and instructional resources. I thought this was so amazing because I've never heard about this until now that I am reading about it. Teachers won't have to spend HOURS researching things from Google (where everything isn't accurate) or books that you have to choose from they can just go online and it will most likely be there with just a few steps rather than hundreds of them.

Lastly, I thought that having your digital identity is great. Digital identity as defined in the book refers to your technology talents and competencies. I liked a quote I saw as I was reading " Every day brings a feeling of reinventing ourselves."(Serinus, 2012, p.17) I couldn't agree more, every day, every moment of our lives we learn something new. Having a digital identity allows you to build a multimedia resume, you learn new resources and most importantly modeling technology for students.

In conclusion, technology will always be a part of our lives, even more for 21st-century teachers. Some teachers or parents might be against it, but we're surrounded with technology everywhere we go. I know the basic things about technology, more social media than anything, but I am willingly open to learning new techniques that will better help me in my career.

Resources:
Textbook - Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZokqjjIy77Y