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.