Exiting Post (9/27/10, Week 3)

The main idea that I took away from lab today was to keep my presentations simple and to not clutter them up with a lot of words, poor color schemes, distracting animations, etc. It is better to use less text and instead try to use more pictures and/or diagrams to use in a presentation. A visual and verbal presentation is more effective than a text heavy power point in addition to verbal lecture. Another key aspect to a presentation/ discussion is using professional speech and the use of wait time. It is recommended that you take a short pause instead of using words like umhm, like, you knows, etc and also implement wait time, giving 7-10 seconds for others to respond.

Chapter 1 Response to Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology

We are living in a new technology revolution where the use of technology is becoming a social norm for learning and sharing. Learning is starting to shift from in the classroom to in the home because of the access to technology and the endless resources that are available to use because of it. Earlier in the chapter it is discussed how many people are becoming successful just by accessing knowledge that can be found on the internet or have landed jobs based on technologies that are constantly being added to the business world. As a teacher it is important to never stop learning and always offer opportunities to embrace new technologies because job titles and their duties are constantly being rewritten in almost every business area from secretaries to farmers. Since more learning can be done outside the classroom and access to things such as the internet is becoming more predominate, we as teachers need to learn how to embrace this and make it a part of our curriculums. This may include internet research projects, watching educational video’s online, or networking with classmates on homework.

In addition to incorporating learning outside the classroom via the internet it is also important to prepare our students for jobs that are technology based. We need to show students how and where to find useful, credible resources that create a gateway for learning about new enterprises for the future. In order to do this we as teachers must also “stay technologically fit” and constantly be looking for new ways to teach our students using technology in ways that prepare them for the real world and what might lie ahead. In essence we need to educate them on how to educate themselves to do well in their future.  We are teaching them to learn for ever.

Exiting Post (9/20/10, Week 2)

After going over the Delicouse.com account, I feel like that can and will become a powerful search engine for me to do my future research on.  Also, after seeing the usefulness of the Wiki and how to set up links within a Wiki, I can visualize that as an interactive way to have my future students involved outside the classroom with the possibilities of even posting homework assignments. I look forward to learning more about the use of Wiki and playing around with my new delicious account.

"Blogs, Wikis, Podcasts" Chapter 1-3 Response

I felt like these first few chapters were very descriptive in the many different things you can do with a blog and how you can make it apart of the classroom in a very useful way. However, I felt like a lot of what the author was saying was very redundant and I don’t feel like I would use blogs for anything more (at least at this point in time) than to just have like a class syllabus posted with due dates for assignments, and a list of notes and resources. It could also be a useful tool to use in order to communicate with students parents.  It all depends on what kind of environment that I end up teaching in. If the kids all have access to computers and the internet at home then I would be more apt to perhaps have my students have their own blog where they could post homework or have their own discussions.

Digital Autobiography

Attached is a link to my Animoto Video that is about my more recent adventures.

http://animoto.com/play/C8vJqmWpKz7Sr0Rd6xqw7g?autostart=true

Frontline Video "Growing Up Online" Response

This video basically confirmed my ideas of how influential technology is in today’s society, particular the younger generation. Young learners are so immersed in a digital society that it has become a way of life. This has created many learning opportunities such as excess to the internet where there is an unending amount of recourses of information. However, with great power comes great responsibility. This new found age of technology also raises great concern for such things as cheating and cyber bullying. When technology is used as a learning tool it can be very beneficial and students can take away a lot from it such as the use of interactive programs like SMART boards and podcasts. Students are more likely to retain information because it fits into their new found way of learning and social norm. We as teachers should learn how to incorporate this into the classroom but we also need to keep a watchful eye on the negative effects it can have as well. Technology needs to be used in the classroom in order for students to get the most out of their learning experience. The best way right now as a teacher is to learn how to incorporate the use of SMART boards into the classroom and take advantage of these new online recourses that we have at our fingertips. We need to create online assignments and possibly learn to create our own web pages where our students can access assignment lists, class notes/ materials, and credible links that are both informative and interactive that they can do on their own time. The best thing to do is to stay on our toes and to try and learn with the students about new technologies so that we can stay updated and so our teaching style does not become outdated and obsolete.

EDUC 331 Lab 1 Response

1) Technology means anything that is new and incorporates some kind of media or computer use. This can range from categories such as your Audio/ Visual like TV’s, projectors, document cameras, DVD players, CD’s, etc, to computers, SMART boards, and calculators, even cell phones.


2) In today’s world, technology integration is becoming easier and easier. This, in the past, mostly was seen as showing videos and using mirror projectors. Today, this has been expanded into so many different areas and can be done in so many more ways going past just the standard PowerPoint presentations. Today’s technology includes the use of SMART boards, and other online resources that are available to students.