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.