Digital blog I

Lesson planning is very common in the classroom. It would be hard to wake up that morning and think alright well I guess we will do this today. When you are prepared your class will be more proficient. There are objectives that the teacher needs to keep in mind. According to Transforming Learning with New Technologies, these learning objectives are: Tell who, is going to do what, When, How much or how often, and how it will be measured or evaluated. If you answer these questions you will find the outcome of what lesson you are teaching.

I was surprised to see that personal experience made the list of how to assess a classroom. For example, if I only did fill in the blank worksheets when I was young and loved it, I would affiliate fill in the blank worksheets in my lesson. I have had a couple great teachers and incorporating some of their teaching methods in a classroom would be amazing. I have never heard anyone say something good about standardized testing. Even if you do not agree with standardized testing, you still have to make time to prepare your students to pass. A lot of people want more than to just pass though, putting in the effort to really inform your students of what they are learning can go a long way.

There are a lot of benefits in being a 21^st century teacher. One of those benefits is a electronic grading software. The electronic grading software can virtually record grades. There is more to it than just putting in grades. You can set up the percentages of what homework, test, participation, or even quizzes. For example, Homework can be 10% of your grade while tests are 20%, and the software calculates the grade for you. Another benefit of this software is teachers, students, and family members who have access to the student’s grades can see it instantly.

 

In conclusion, lesson planning is important when teaching. Knowing the objectives will give you a clear layout of what they need to learn and why they need to learn it. When I was in fifth grade my teacher put marbles in a jar when we were behaving well and when that jar was full we could have 30 to 40 minutes of play time. I will incorporate this when I am a teacher because I remember how fun it was to earn those marbles. The electronic grading software was a great invention; teachers will have more time on their hands. Also since the software calculates the grades for you it will be more accurate.

References:

Chen, M. (2015, September 2). The Rebellion Against Standardized Tests Is Exploding. Retrieved October 29, 2015, from https://www.thenation.com/article/the-rebellion-against-standardized-tests-is-exploding/

CoolSIS for Teachers (Attendance, Gradebook, Exam Reader). (n.d.). Retrieved October 29, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brWPP0__WBU


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.

McBride, M. (2015, October 28). . Learning objectives. Retrieved October 29, 2015, from https://www.canva.com/design/DABgqftQ-LQ/XWsPghvY1Nhdl0Xb7K8pPg/edit

Digital Blog H

If you are a student or a teacher there is no doubt that you have either heard or used PowerPoint in your life. Using PowerPoint in the classroom is a great way to have students interact with their project and go beyond the textbook. No matter what grade you are in PowerPoint is a tool that you can use to your benefit. For example, you are assigned a project on whales. By using PowerPoint you will be able to use pictures, videos, audio and animations in your slides. When you are presenting your PowerPoint on whales you have a lot of information and can get your audience’s attention. This is because they are not listening to you just talk the whole time, your audience can have visuals and follow along with what you are saying.

 

I found alphabet books to be a wonderful way for students to easily learn their alphabets. An alphabet book is pretty self explanatory. It is a book the child learning the alphabet makes, the letter A for example would be a picture of an apple with the lower and upper case A. There will also be a sentence added “A is for Apple”. When I am a kindergarten teacher I will incorporate alphabet books into my lessons. The child made the book with pretty pictures and their own sentences so they want to read it over and over. They will also want to show every adult they run into, that gives them even more practice.

 

I was surprised to read about the benefits of using a camera with students. I was surprised by this because I always assumed that that was something to avoid. When I was in high school I helped out with the ESE students and they were very strict on no cameras. I know that you have to have parent consent to have any pictures of a child taken.  Cameras can be useful in the classroom. One of the reasons is, if you are doing a science experiment or anything that will take a week or longer to complete, you can take pictures and show the students how the experiment has progressed daily.

In conclusion, PowerPoint is a great way to be more engaged with a project and presenting can be less stressful. There is a similar version of PowerPoint now called Prezi. It works the same yet I think Prezi is a little more appealing to the eye because it is different. Alphabet books are a great way to express the creativity of a young mind. Cameras can be useful when doing a long experiment, and to see the progress that students make.

 

References:

 Document Camera. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.edtechnetwork.com/document_cameras.html

How to Create Profesional Powerpoint Presentation slides | Best Powerpoint Tips. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duf_gutmvjo

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.

McBride, M. (n.d.). Alphabet Book. Retrieved October 25, 2015, from http://www.zooburst.com/zb_books-viewer.php?book=zb01_562c49182ac4a
 

Digital Blog G

Having everyone in the classroom know they can have many accomplishes is important. Teachers have a lot of work cut out for them, from standardized testing to making everyone feel welcomed.  Multicultural education is significant in a teacher’s lesson. It should not matter what ethnicity someone is, that teacher has a job to educate them. Students are the future of America, how they learn will reflect on society. Technology is a great way to have a more diverse lesson. A teacher can use interactive websites to go to past events or current. The students will be more engaged with learning and multicultural education will be present.

            Universal design is usually everywhere. If you go to a store and you see a wheelchair ramp that is universally designed for everyone who is in a wheelchair. Set ups like that are at countless places. An important place to have universal design would be school. Yes schools usually have a ramp or doors that will open if you press the handicap button. Universal design needs to be in the classroom. A teacher needs to be aware of the situation of the student or students and make changes to her classroom accordingly.

View Ways to have Universal Design in your classroom full version on Tackk
Create your own customized Tackk page

            Assistive technology can be just as life changing as universal design. For example, someone who cannot see well has audio with her lesson. Assistive technologies are tools that students with any disability can use and prosper with their education. A student still needs to be challenge and be able to critically think. Technology can sometimes get in the way of that. In Transforming Learning with new Technologies, they talk about a speech software that students with motor disabilities can speak and their words will show up on the screen. Someone who struggles with a motor disability would enjoy coming to school more with that type of software.

In conclusion, it should not matter what ethnicity you are, you are there to get an education to better yourself for your future goals. Teachers can set up a more diverse classroom and use technology to have a more multicultural education. A student with any disability should be able to get in and out of the classroom. Also assistive technology is important to any classroom with or without disabilities. Technology offers so much to everyone, might as well use it.

References:
Darby, A. (n.d.). Understanding Universal Design in the Classroom. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from http://www.nea.org/home/34693.htm

Lynch, E. (n.d.). The Call to Teach: Multicultural Education. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/matthew-lynch-edd/the-call-to-teach-multicu_b_4568066.html

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.

McBride, M. (2015, October 14). Ways to have Universal Design in your classroom - Tackk. Retrieved October 14, 2015, from https://tackk.com/082kxz

Understanding Assistive Technology: Simply Said. (n.d.). Retrieved October 14, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB9pKkZoJDc
 

Digital blog F

The way people communicate in today’s world is endless. As a teacher I will be professional and communicate through, email, text messages, teacher or classroom websites, blogs, online discussions, and wikis. As a teacher that is how I will get in touch with others. According to Transforming Learning with New Technologies, these are the ways to communicate to other teachers and students. Having access for a way to talk to your teacher is an important one. When I am a teacher I want my students to be able to contact me if they have any questions for an assignment. To collaborate ideas and lesson planning with other teachers through a blog would be very beneficial for a classroom.

I have a couple classes that I have online discussions with. It is a good way to get feedback from other students and the teacher. In the textbook I found it interesting that there are steps to follow to have a good discussion. The ones I found to be most important were, to have an issue that the students are interested in, to have clear rules for online conduct, and to respond directly but tactfully. I chose these three rules because a good discussion includes being interested in the topic which will make the students want to say their thoughts about it. In a discussion the students need to know to be polite and respectful to others. The teacher needs to address what the student said and respond to the student without having the student feel incompetent.

The first time I made a blog was for this course and I understand it more now with some practice. Blogs can be a great way to understand other teachers or students point of view. Blogs can help a student or make the student more interested in the subject.  For example, as a teacher I would be able to make a blog about reading and why it is important. The blog can be fun and interactive. A blog for students to read needs something that will spark their interest to continue reading.

 

In conclusion, Communicating to students, parents and other teachers is an important way to go beyond the classroom. Every teacher wants their students to succeed and these are great ways for just that. Discussions online can be a drag but when the topic is interesting and people are giving their opinion in a nice manner makes discussions better. Blogs are a great way to inform people, express what you mean, and communicate with others.

Resources:
Farley-Lucas, B. (2012, January 20). Enhancing Out-of-Class Communication: Students' Top 10 Suggestions - Faculty Focus. Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/philosophy-of-teaching/enhancing-out-of-class-communication-students-top-10-suggestions/
Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
McBride, M. (n.d.). Discussions | Presentation View | FlipQuiz. Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://flipquiz.me/review/43267
Top 10 Reasons to Use a Blog in the Classroom. (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfJETK3am1M

 

Digital blog E

 Teaching problem solving with computers is a great way to really learn and get in depth with your work. With a computer they are interacting with their learning, the students do not only have the basic answers, they have a game where they will have fun while critical thinking is happening. In the text book, Transforming Learning with new Technologies, they explain how students do not need to think as much when there is a problem like 2 times 2 because they know the answer already. When they play a learning game there is so much more. It can involve searching towns for problems, conducting hypothesis, economic and social outcomes, and the text book explains how students do not get to have simple solutions. Instead they can follow the research process to proceed.

Reading over some of the learning software you can use I saw my favorite, Google Earth. Google Earth is a great way to explore the world as a student and see the differences between places. As a teacher I would be able to incorporate Google Earth with math, English, history, and so much more. For example if you are talking about Martin Luther King, you can take Google Earth and go to where he gave his most famous speeches. I shared this small piece from Storybird.
 

There is a difference between Internet based games and desktop games. Internet based games are used for educational purposes and are usually free. While desktop games are for educational purposes also, they are games you purchase from a company and take a while to play. They can both be used for learning, as a future 21^st century educator my pick would be the Internet based games. I would want my students to get into the game and learn as much as possible from it, so Internet based games are not as long as desktop and I want my students to play the game but remember there are other things to do.

In conclusion, learning based games are a great way to interact with learning. The way people have been using and interpreting the word ‘Game’ is going to change. I think back to when I was in elementary school and I would have benefited a lot from learning games. Google Earth would have been great to use while I was learning geography, to see a visual of the mountains like that will make you think of the endless possibilities.

References:

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
McBride, M. (2015, October 1). What will they see. Where will they go. by Melly0207 on Storybird. Retrieved October 1, 2015, from http://storybird.com/chapters/what-will-they-see-where-will-they-go/?token=g4b2meu8mm
Shapiro, J. (2014, May 1). How Games Lead Kids to the Good Stuff: Understanding Context. Retrieved September 30, 2015, from http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2014/05/01/how-games-based-learning-teaches-problem-solving-in-context/
Using Games for Classroom Assessment. (n.d.). Retrieved October 1, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-BBsPl9GSo