Reflective Blog #8

This class has exposed me to a variety of technologies that can enhance a student’s educational experience. Developing my educational technology philosophy made me think about roles of the teacher and student and what I feel is important and necessary to create a positive teaching and learning experience. It was informative to read the different philosophical schools of thought and then recognize that I relate to constructivism. When I become a teacher I will try hard to practice my philosophy. It is important for teachers, students, and their families to communicate and learn from each other. I also want to have a fun learning environment and feel that incorporating many of the tools learned in this class will motivate and engage students.

This class introduced me to technological tools I probably would not have used otherwise. Now, I am much more aware and less intimidated by the tools. Podcasts, Google Earth, wiki, the e-portfolio and blog were not difficult to create and I can see myself using them in the future.

I had fun with this blog and feel like I put a lot of work into it; partly because it is seen by the public! I also like that I can view my completed work in one place and review my thoughts from a particular time. I would like to continue to use my blog to journal my student teaching experience and then later use it in my science class.  

Reflective Blog #7

This week, I created an ecology lesson plan that educates 7^th grade science students about Earth’s many diverse biomes. Students will learn about different biomes and their characteristics such as climate and organisms. Furthermore, students will understand the relationship between organisms and environments. Technological tools incorporated in the lesson are a class wiki, YouTube videos, and the Google Earth application.

Students are each assigned to a recognized biome. From the class wiki, students will access and watch a video about their assigned biome. They will be asked to take notes during the video and then individually write a summary describing the biome and what they found especially interesting. Then, students form groups with people assigned different biomes and exchange and discuss information from the videos. Using Google Earth, groups look up locations of the world’s biomes. Each group then creates a poster that defines biome, characteristics of the different biomes, and their observations from the Google Earth activity. Photos of the posters will be posted on the class wiki so classmates can show off their work. 

For this blog reflection assignment, I watched two videos about today’s learner and the much needed transition and incorporation of technology into the classroom to improve learning. The videos demonstrated that the traditional way of learning has become a chore for students and they are not getting very much out of their education. Students are interested in technology and spend their free time watching TV, listening to music, surfing the Internet, or social networking; it makes sense to incorporate all of these things into their education!

Technology in the classroom enhances learning because detailed information on topics is readily available. The structure of the Internet allows users to easily observe patterns in information and link ideas. The Internet provides access to videos that explain or illustrate topics to students; also, technological tools are available that allow teachers to make their own videos. I have said it before and I will say it again: learning is a social experience! Technology allows for communication and collaboration with many people at many locations. Tools such as twitter, wiki, and blogs allow students, teachers, and professionals to network, provide ideas, feedback, encouragement, and create awareness. Communicating knowledge in a way that agrees with the lifestyle and needs of the 21^st century student is a step towards improved learning.

Reflective Blog #6

In my podcast, I talk about my cat, Billy, and what it takes to be a responsible pet owner. This podcast serves as an icebreaker for prospective students and me. In my science class, I would ask students to post a podcast on their blog about something that interests them. They would also make comments about podcasts on the other student’s blogs. This assignment helps students socialize and learn more about each other and myself on a personal level. Also, students become familiar with using technologies such as podcasts and blogging; students can learn new information from each other’s podcasts.

Podcasts are a great educational tool that serve many purposes and are easy to use. I created my podcast using Cinch. I was delightfully surprised by how simple it was to produce a podcast and then post it on my blog. In the future, I want to post podcasts of lectures, lab instructions, and explain assignments, so students can review material before and after class. If a student doesn’t understand a specific idea in lecture, they can return to it and ask for clarification. Also, students can review lectures for test preparation. If I am stressed for classroom time, I can assign a lecture on podcast for homework and then spend class time doing something else such as a discussion or a lab experiment.  With an MP3 player, students can listen to a podcast anytime and anywhere. I would give students the option to download podcasts onto their MP3 as well as directly access the podcasts on my blog. I might also have both audio and video options available for download. Some students might not have access to a home computer or MP3 player to view the podcasts; I can have affordable MP3’s available for students to buy and I will allocate time in class for students to download podcasts so they can listen to the podcast at home. Podcasts are a fun way to complete assignments and this tool might actually support and enhance some student’s learning styles. Also, the ability to listen/watch podcasts on your iPhone, iPod, or MP3 encourages students to review information. Information presented in this format conforms to students of this digital native generation.

Reflective Blog #5

                After taking the Information Literacy Quiz, I realized I am not very knowledgeable in information literacy. It is definitely a foreign language to me. The answers to the quiz are a great resource that I will continue to reference.

                This mapping information activity showed me different ways to determine the credibility of information on the Internet. I analyzed the information on the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus website. This website appears to be a hoax because it has a gift shop and also fine print at the bottom that states the website is not associated with any educational organization; however, a student might not register these as red flags concerning credibility of information. I learned how understanding the different parts of the URL help determine the type of site and furthermore, its reliability. Then, I used AltaVista to analyze links embedded in the website and external links. This further supported my intuition that this website was a hoax. I utilized www.archive.org to see how the site looked throughout the years. This tool shows the website’s past information and who is behind the website; this helps gain a better understanding of the site’s objectives. Another activity not associated with the octopus website involved utilizing commands in AltaVista to conduct searches. This is a helpful tool; however, I need to become more familiar with the different commands. Also, I am not sure that using these commands promises reliable search results.

                Now, when searching on the Internet, I will utilize these tools to help deconstruct the information I find and determine if it is appropriate for educational use. I admit that I am guilty of having used the first website that pops up on Google. Nevertheless, most papers and projects completed during my educational experience have required that the utilized information come from a scholarly source. In that respect I am confident about past information used. It definitely would have been helpful to know ways to deconstruct information on websites.

                It is critical that future students learn skills to deconstruct information on websites because the Internet is now the main source for information, and a lot of the available information is misleading. It will be a great disservice to students if educators fail to teach these skills. Studying false or misleading information can result in bad decisions or confusion.  Also, using inaccurate information for educational purposes can be a time-consuming error.

                Delicious is a tool that organizes saved favorites. It is a similar but more technology advanced way of adding favorites to your favorites bar. Delicious helps categorize favorite websites and navigate through tagged sites with keywords. All saved favorites can be accessed from any computer. Also, Delicious makes social collaboration and linking possible; people can view and share one another’s bookmark collection for inspiration and develop a network.

                When I am a teacher, I can use this tool to search for science lesson ideas. I can include keywords and a description to a tag that helps me easily navigate and also remember specific reasons why I liked the site. I can also see what other science teachers bookmark which will inspire ideas and help assess if educational material in my class is similar to other science classes.

                In addition to Delicious, another social bookmarking application I explored was Stumble Upon. This tool shows me random web pages that relate to my specified interests. It eventually learns what I like and also allows me to rate and review websites. The first website I ‘stumbled upon’ was a website full of cute animal pictures. This is a really entertaining application that introduces you to new interesting websites.

Reflective Blog #4

10 research based principles related to assessment for learning (AFL) were identified. A principle I find important is that the teacher should understand or be aware of how a student learns. Understanding how a student learns and then utilizing complimentary educational techniques will benefit student learning and promote growth. When teaching strategies are utilized that reach students and compliment their learning, the teacher can then assess where students need improvement or additional teaching techniques. I also related to the principle that AFL should be sensitive and constructive. For assessments to assist in learning and growth, they should include specific, detailed examples of what the student should work on and goals to reach. This is much more beneficial than a letter grade with no other feedback; not only can that be negative and scary, but it does not measure growth or help the student understand their strengths and weaknesses. Furthermore, constructive feedback helps the student be involved in their learning and creates a positive learning environment.

A portfolio can be a useful tool in assessment for learning because it helps the student tell a story through a collection of their work and also allows for self-reflection of their experiences. Having a collection of work in one place allows the student and educator to view progress, skills learned, and observe any patterns in how and what they learn. Portfolios have the potential to help students better understand their own learning process and where improvements can be made. The portfolio can be viewed by different people who can share ideas and provide specific feedback.

Developing my portfolio will help me better understand my teaching perspective and also how to incorporate technological tools into the classroom. With a portfolio, I can easily view progress such as the technology skills learned and tools utilized in this class. Also, I can more easily see relationships between different projects which will further help me understand material by seeing the large picture. I hope that through this compilation of my work that the reader better understands me; the reader can give feedback that will help me improve and think about new ideas and information.

Reflective Blog #3

I wanted to develop a wiki that I can use as an additional teaching/learning tool for my future science class. My wiki will consist of a compilation of information and resources that support my science class lectures. Prospective students, their parents, and other teachers can utilize the wiki page. Wiki will allow students to perform group work online where they can add, edit, and discuss information. I want to post class assignments, links to real life examples that support class material, and make podcasts of lectures available to students, parents, and other teachers. I added an introduction to my wiki page that tells students how wiki will be utilized for the class. Because this is an imaginary class, I have not yet linked any course material, podcasts, or science resources.

Utilizing wiki allows members to constantly collaborate, add, change, give feedback, and share information. Wiki assists in coordinating and organizing information for a group of people. People have the opportunity to get involved and participate in an idea. This tool is easy to use and access. Teachers can use wiki to assemble educational material from many resources, integrate educational technologies such as podcasts and concept maps, incorporate online class discussion of topics, and collaborate with other teachers and seek their input. The disadvantages of wiki include having to closely monitor information because it can be changed by anyone. Accidentally deleting someone else’s post could occur; important documents and ideas should be additionally saved somewhere else. Also, information on wikis can be biased because it reflects the beliefs of the writer/reviewer.

 Wikis have the potential for engaging digital natives by relaying information in a way that captivates their attention and agrees with their thinking pattern. The use of wiki to add, edit, and discuss ideas builds a student’s critical thinking. Furthermore, wiki provides instant access to information which helps maintain attention spans.

  There are many web technologies introduced on the eLearning Tools Wiki that I want to further explore. The animation technology DoInk.com would be fun to use to create an animation for a friend’s facebook wall. For educational use, the concept mapping tools (slickplan.com, mindmeister.com) are great for linking ideas and establishing relationships so students can see the whole picture. Another great tool is conferencing technology which allows teachers to communicate, collaborate, store, and present material to students, parents, or other teachers over the Internet. In my undergrad classes, I benefited from podcasts and therefore would like to incorporate them into my future science class.

Reflective Blog #2

Educause is an organization that aligns with my educational technology philosophy. Its mission is to advance higher education through the use of information technology. Educause provides different programs and services which include research material, discussion with peers about technology programs, and addresses different teaching and learning methods. Expectations of technology programs on education and their related policies are stated. I selected this organization because it provides information about different technologies and there are panels available to discuss personal experiences concerning information technology. Congruent with my philosophy beliefs, this organization offers support and communication between educators. I also like that this site provides quick feedback on current issues concerning information technology in higher education. Educause aims to improve information technology to be a successful learning tool. I like that this organization focuses on technology that improves student readiness for college. I want my students to gain skills that help them succeed in college.

http://www.educause.edu/

Association for Computing Machinery, ACM, provides members with publications, conferences, and career resources. Their mission is to advance computing as a science and profession. ACM has a digital library with online books, courses, and publications. Members are able to customize and share resources found in the digital library. The website addresses the students changing educational needs and the incorporation of informational technology to improve education. Teachers have available educational resources such as curricula recommendations. ACM has links to even more organizations; I felt like this website was a great resource. The website is organized with side tabs that made it easy for me to follow; organization and to-the-point information supports my philosophy.

http://www.acm.org/

Educational Technology Definition

            Educational technology promotes and improves learning with a variety of available resources and tools. Educational technology elevates a teacher’s method of instruction to students, enriches educational techniques, and allows access to current resources and information for research. Educational technology integrates technology into the classroom to improve learning through social connection, communication of information, and easy access to resources.

This definition supports my educational philosophy in that technology allows access to information and resources about teaching and learning; educators can update their personal education and continue the learning process of being an educator. Technology allows for easy communication between teachers, students, and their families. Discussion with others helps to better understand material and have a support group. My philosophy states that the learner should gain skills to better understand life; technology is drastically changing our world and educators need to improve their educational technology skills to reflect modern times. Technological software and tools allow for a completely new means of educating students and communicating information. Educational technology programs nicely organize information, help build relationships with others, and have many available resources to assist in learning.