Before taking this course I thought that I had a good grasp on using technology effectively in the classroom. As a technology High School teacher, I quickly became the student. I never realized how many free educational technology tools are available to use in the classroom. In addition, these tools can be used for almost any subject type. As a Business Education major and teacher I only really saw technology from a business stand point. Seeing how technology has been implemented by teachers who teach other subjects has been great. Reading the experiences and stories of my classmates use of technology in their general education classroom has been a great experience. Reading these first hand accounts of technology education I think has made me a better teacher.
State Standards also are very important when using technology. To effectively implement technology successfully in the classroom is to make sure that the technology is following state standards. It is our jobs at teachers to make sure that students are learning what they need to know and state standards help guide learning.
My view on technology has not changed much from taking this course. As a high school computer teacher I highly value technology in the classroom. However, since taking this course I find myself sharing my technology knowledge to my fellow teachers at the school I teach. If I did not take this course, I probably would not share my knowledge and love of technology on to others.
This course has opened my eyes to many technologies that I did not think even existed. For example, a few technologies that I enjoyed learning about and will be implementing into my own classroom for this school year and in the future include: Wordles, Wikis, WebQuests and Screencasts. I know have a better understanding of these technologies and have the confidence to implement these technologies into my own curriculum.
Technology is always changing. As a teacher it is our jobs to make sure that we prepare our students for the future. Technology is the future. Incorporating technology in the classroom is vital to prepare students for the real world. After taking this course, a teacher has the tools that they need in their technology toolbox to better prepare students.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Apply and Discover 10.1
I viewed the below three video WebQuests.
1.Gabrien Turner - Narrative Essay Writing.
This was a great webQuest. It was easy to follow and understand. The links that were provided were great resources. Also liked how the examples of pervious student work was pointed out. Overall this was a great video narration of the WebQuest.
2. Karena Allen - Life Cycle a Frog's Life
The narration of this webquest was great. It was easy to follow and very visually inviting. It is definitely geared to a younger audience. Pointing out all of the resources was very helpful. Overall, great job.
3. Dawn Glidden – Story2tell
Good walk through of the WebQuest. However, the sound was very low. I know how hard it was to record these videos. The walk through and step by step of each page made up for the audio issues. Overall great job.
Overall this video project of the WebQuests that we created was very challenging. There were many speed bumps along the road, but was a great learning experience.
1.Gabrien Turner - Narrative Essay Writing.
This was a great webQuest. It was easy to follow and understand. The links that were provided were great resources. Also liked how the examples of pervious student work was pointed out. Overall this was a great video narration of the WebQuest.
2. Karena Allen - Life Cycle a Frog's Life
The narration of this webquest was great. It was easy to follow and very visually inviting. It is definitely geared to a younger audience. Pointing out all of the resources was very helpful. Overall, great job.
3. Dawn Glidden – Story2tell
Good walk through of the WebQuest. However, the sound was very low. I know how hard it was to record these videos. The walk through and step by step of each page made up for the audio issues. Overall great job.
Overall this video project of the WebQuests that we created was very challenging. There were many speed bumps along the road, but was a great learning experience.
Monday, March 12, 2012
Apply and Discover 9.1
What does it mean to "provide equal access to the digital world"?
As a teacher it is our job to make sure that students are learning to the best of their ability. This can be a difficult task at times to reach every single student. Technology has become an important tool that teachers can use to help meet this goal. As a first year teacher I learned very quickly that each student learns differently and as a teacher we need to reach students in many different ways. It is the same with technology. There needs to be equal access for all students to the digital world. Technology is great and offers many different resources that help provide each student equal access to the digital world. There are many adaptive technologies out there that provide students who are struggling in a certain area, be at the same level as a student who is not experiencing these struggles. The one example that comes to mind is students who have visual impairments. You may assume that these students cannot use a computer as effective as a student who as 20/20 vision. Well there are resources and equipment available that allows these students to use a computer just like a regular student. There are specialized keyboards that are larger so students can see what they are typing and settings can be set on the computer screen that makes the data appear larger and brighter for students. These types of accommodations help provide equal access to the digital world.
As a teacher it is our job to make sure that students are learning to the best of their ability. This can be a difficult task at times to reach every single student. Technology has become an important tool that teachers can use to help meet this goal. As a first year teacher I learned very quickly that each student learns differently and as a teacher we need to reach students in many different ways. It is the same with technology. There needs to be equal access for all students to the digital world. Technology is great and offers many different resources that help provide each student equal access to the digital world. There are many adaptive technologies out there that provide students who are struggling in a certain area, be at the same level as a student who is not experiencing these struggles. The one example that comes to mind is students who have visual impairments. You may assume that these students cannot use a computer as effective as a student who as 20/20 vision. Well there are resources and equipment available that allows these students to use a computer just like a regular student. There are specialized keyboards that are larger so students can see what they are typing and settings can be set on the computer screen that makes the data appear larger and brighter for students. These types of accommodations help provide equal access to the digital world.
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