There were a few projects completed this week and some were difficult. These assignments are part of any distance learning classroom and are very important. Proper implementation of these artifacts in an classroom is important because they have to be student focused. The Quizizz can be used for evaluation of any part of the lesson. it is a way to search for questions or create questions based on the lectures or materials covered in a given lesson. My topic was phlebotomy and there were a significant amount of questions already available and I also had the option to create my own questions. This could be a great way to find questions that relate to the lesson being taught in your classroom. Some publishers have digital resources that correspond to their books but the software can be difficult to use and can be very intuitive. This software was easy to use and implement into my classroom. It even provides a feature for feedback and tracking student progress. This tool will definitely be used in my classroom. I also created a rubric to accompany the test. It can help students in understanding how they are going to be evaluated and the derivation of their grade for a particular assessment. The rubric was difficult to create because the evaluation was a mixture of multiple choice questions, fill in the blank and essay. I think that it would be easier to create the rubric for essay questions or questions that were more subjective. I was able to create the rubric based on the breakdown of each question which was a bit more time consuming. The thinglink was a great tool for the digital classroom. I have watched many videos throughout my learning career and had questions as the video was being played. This is an interactive tool to help students in that the instructor can offer insight into techniques or critique the video by adding comments and inserts. It is also a way for the instructor to check on learning by adding questions directly into the video. The only negative is that feedback may not be instant, but the instructor can have the students respond to the questions in a discussion forum. Scoopit can be used to help students with research projects. It is a great way for students to share research or to work in a group setting. The students can post great articles for a specific topic and share it with other students, not only in a specific class but in other institutions. This can be extremely helpful for discussion forums when students have to share ideas and defend them with data. I will definitely utilize this in my classroom as there are several projects that require research. I frequently have to explain research options to students but this can be used for students to see prior research and help them get new ideas.
Technology is important in distance learning, it is paramount to both student and instructor success. I have not yet taught an distance education class, but have been fortunate enough to complete a few. The technology used in the classroom can encourage student success or make it very difficult for students to achieve that success. The design and ergonomics of the learning management system should be well thought out and implemented. I have been fortunate enough to have instructors that are very experienced and helpful. The digital classroom design is used to communicate with students, evaluate students, give feedback to students, help with problem solving and encourage students' creativity. Fostering a welcoming classroom can include elements as facilitating discussions that encourage students to communicate effectively and professionally, providing good digital and visual representation of deliverables, providing fair and practical lessons and evaluations for students, providing timely feedback for students and aiding students' success as much as possible. These elements can help to properly train students for real world application of skills learned in the classroom. I struggled in creating my digital classroom because I focused on ergonomics as well as ensuring that it was visually interesting while still delivering meaningful lessons, evaluation and feedback.
These projects were challenging but informative. The podcast was very helpful and can be used to communicate with students or even have students create lessons to communicate with each other. They can also be used as part of a discussion forum where students can hear voices instead of just reading comments. The podcast can be very helpful in a digital classroom when students are unable to effectively communicate in a face to face session. I did not have many problems creating the podcast with vocaroo. It can also be used in a blog format, in my currrent classroom, students participate in a weekly blog and this would be helpful. The software was very easy to used and the provided directions were very detailed. The only two problem that I had were ensuring my recording was loud enough and changing the format of the recording to embed it. I noticed that the search engine made a difference in quality of the podcast. I revised my podcast several times because my voice was not loud enough and not very clear. Once I completed the recording, converting the file to mp3 was simple but embedding it proved a bit more difficult. I will definitely use this technology in my classroom to facilitate communication and have students present ideas for improvement. The story movie and interactive videos can be used to help students creatively communicate their information. I currently teach a phlebotomy class and students can use these to demonstrate their knowledge of proper phlebotomy procedures. They can also use this to demonstrate to other students some tips and tricks of the trade. These were both great projects that i will definitely use in my classroom.
Chapter 7 Discussion and Project 1-3
Week 4 These projects were very informative and a great learning opportunity. I was able to complete the projects (story, power point, lesson plan and survey) using google docs. It was definitely helpful to utilize them from a student prospective so that when I implement it in my classroom I will have an idea of common pitfalls. The fact that I could share the documents with my team members and we could edit them at the same time was a new experience. It could definitely be used in and out of the classroom to facilitate group work. Most of the functions described in chapter seven, ”word processing”, was applicable. Some of these include text enhancement, document formatting, graphics and clip art, copy, cut, paste, etc. I was even able to use an electronic spreadsheet when creating my lesson plan. I have a template that is used by the organization that I currently teach for but I created a new template. Although simple, the row and column organization, along with pictures and colors were an important part of the formatting of the template. The survey was an interesting project because I learned new software and how to create a survey. The questions that were on the survey were the most difficult portion because I have to figure out what information I needed before creating the questions. The second most difficult portion was choosing how to format the questions (multiple choice, short answer, etc.). Otherwise it was not difficult. The slide presentation offered the opportunity to create a power point presentation and share it with group members. I was able to get feedback and they were able to make changes so that the presentation was the best it could be. The story was interesting because of how group members’ input changed the story. They were able to add pictures and formatting changes to better portray the ideas that I was trying to express. For the lesson plan, it was imperative that it was well constructed. I tried to implement a color coding system as well as pictures to get the students’ attention. Over all, these were great learning experiences and I will definitely implement these technologies into my classroom. IT 645 Week 3 Discussion
Chapter 4: Students with special needs include both those who have disabilities and those who are gifted. Technology can provide solutions to help meet the unique needs of both groups. However, schools typically have limited budgets for technology. Considering that the needs of all students should be met, what do you think the best allocation of limited technology dollars should be to meet these students’ needs? Give examples to support your views. It is always important to meet the needs of all students, both the gifted and the disabled. It can be difficult to fulfill both students’ needs as they can be similar but mostly different. Mobile devices are a great option of students with disabilities. They can help the student with communication and give access to materials that the student may otherwise not be able to access. I have a coworker with an autistic child and he had difficulties with communicating both in school and at home. The school began using ipads in the classroom and he was provided with full access. He can now effectively communicate with his parents and other classmates. There are programs (software) on the ipad that help him organize his thoughts and articulate them for him. One of the programs was a form of text-to-speech program and another was the recorded book software. He can now competently complete the reading assignments in class, communicate and even function in an integrated classroom. Other technologies that can help disabled students includes high- interest low- vocabulary books, computers with different keyboards (stickykeys, mousekeys, one-handed keyboards, etc.) and alternative output devices (screen magnification software, screen readers). On the other spectrum it can be difficult to stimulate the gifted students but with proper integration of technology it is possible. There are programs such as NASA education program that provide these students with simulations or complex problems to solve. Differentiated instructions may be necessary which would be a way of tailoring the instructions to the ability of the student. Scaffolding is a great technique for the classroom as it gives students a step wise approach to progression. It would be important to ensure that the budget is spent on technologies that will help both types of students. Chapter 5: Discuss why teachers need foundational computer literacy, such as input/output devices, storages, mobile devices, and software updating? It is imperative that teachers have computer literacy because they cannot teach and problem solve potential issues if they do not understand the technology. Most of the technology mentioned are used in the classroom on a daily basis and failure to understand/ properly utilize them would result in a failure of the instructor to adequately prepare the students for progression. Storage devices are commonly used in classrooms to transport data. Many students use thumb drives, external hard drives, cloud storage devices (software) and other storage devised so that they can store data that they may need to reference at a later time. Instructors can also utilize these as a way to store test information (results or actual tests), research data, grading information, and other important information. Input devices (keyboard, mouse, touch pad, laser pointers, etc.) and output devices (monitors) are amongst the more important classroom items. These are how the instructor present the visual materials as well as give feedback to the students. Software glitches and hardware malfunction are not uncommon, so instructors must know how to remedy these problems in a timely manner as it can cause a delay in classroom instructions. Any delay/ disruption in classroom instructions can affect learning outcomes. Software updating is very important as it allows the hardware to function properly and fix potential issues. If the instructor us unaware or unable to apply software updates, then students can potentially receive outdated information/ lessons. It is almost universal that students utilize mobile devices so instructors must be capable of identifying and properly using these devices. There is more computing power in modern cell phones than schools possessed in past decades. Mobile devices are very useful in the classroom, if properly integrated. They can also be distracting to students and may require monitoring. As time passes, mobile devices are becoming more popular and rapidly advancing in complexity, so it is important that instructors know how to utilize and fix these devices. Chapter 6: After considering the various types of digital technologies presented in this chapter, what three pieces of equipment do you think you would most want for your future or current classroom? Explain why you selected these three and how you would use them for teaching and learning. The three technologies that I would like in my classroom includes electronic whiteboards, digital cameras for teleconferencing and ebooks. I would like the electronic whiteboards because they are interactive and can facilitate active learning. I currently have a standard whiteboard in my classroom and sometimes find it difficult to demonstrate or have students demonstrate key points from lecture. I would utilize the electronic whiteboard as a focus for active learning. I could have the students walk to the front of class and illustrate their ideas or demonstrate their understanding of the materials presented in class by using the whiteboard as an articulation tool. Instead of hand drawn illustrations, they could use information in the whiteboard software to illustrate. Some also have wall mounted cameras/ projectors that could be utilized as visual aids. I would use the digital camera for teleconferencing so that I can communicate with students when they miss class. The face to face time is important both to the instructor and student. Teleconferencing allows the students to receive immediate feedback from the instructor as well as detailed information in a face to face format which is similar to the classroom. This can also help with students that may be out of school for an extended period (illness, hospitalization). The final technology would be ebooks which would be helpful for the students that have laptops/ tablets so that they don’t have to carry bulky books. I frequently hear student complaining about not bring their book to class because it is heavy and may not be used in class daily. The usage of ebooks would allow students to bring a simple laptop or tablet and furthermore find the information in the document faster. In most instances, the ebook is cheaper than print materials. These technologies would facilitate more learning opportunities in my classroom. My name is Kinelle and I am in my last year of graduate school. I served in the ARMY for 7 years as a Medical Laboratory Technician and enjoyed every day of it. After completing my contractual obligation, I went to Canisius College, where I completed a Bachelors of Science in Medical Technology. After graduating, I began working as a Clinical Laboratory Scientist at a local hospital. A few years later, I accepted a position at a career college as an instructor. I am currently in my last year of graduate school where I am in a Masters of Science program for Medical Laboratory Science. I have taken roughly 8 classes in an online environment and will complete another 3-4 before completing my current program of study. I am familiar with many of the technology programs currently being utilized in online education such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, PDF,outlook, etc. I currently use a few learning management system in my classes that includes Blackboard, Banner, Mythics and SSRS. I am familiar with many of these systems as I utilize them daily but am by no means an expert. I like using all of these technologies in my classroom as they enhance the learning environment and help me organize classroom activities. I use email as well as black board to communicate with my student daily, whether it is to make changes to classroom expectations, follow up with students that missed class or disseminate pertinent information. Although I have heard of wikis, blogs, podcasts, etc., I have never used them before so they will be part of the learning for me in IT 645.
Chapter 1:
The number of technology tools available to teachers is already daunting, and more are emerging every day. Given the values of these tools to enliven and support 21st century learning, what will you do to keep yourself informed about the options available to you? How will you manage your discoveries and work toward integrating them into your classroom? Technology can definitely enhance the teaching methodology of instructors if utilized correctly, conversely it can hinder classroom progression when misused. In the chapter there is mention of the necessity for technology to not be utilized as an after taught but integrated into the framework (pedagogy) and as a “component” of teaching. In my personal life, I utilize very little technology but my professional life is centered around technology. I resisted the use of technology for as long as I could but once I began to utilize it, especially in my teaching, I began to really appreciate all that it can do. In order to keep informed about the advancement in technology, as related to teaching/ learning, I would consult with the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). They are among the oldest associations and focuses on effectively utilizing technology in instructional education. I would also consult the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) because the establish national standards for technology in education for both instructors and students. They created the National Educational Technology Standards (NETS) which is aimed at preparing instructors to effectively se technology. Finally, I would consult with National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environment where there is a plethora of articles and helpful hints about proper, safe and effective use of technology in the classroom. In order to manage the influx of technology and properly integrate them into my classroom, I would consult the Partnership for 21st Century Learning (P21). They focus on the skills that will need in their future so I could implement the correct technology into my classroom based on the skills that are necessary for the workforce. I would also ensure that I utilize the technology as it was intended to be used. For example, I would utilize a Prezi or PowerPoint for presenting information to students. I would use administrative programs for administrative tasks, outlook to manage emails and communication with students. For lesson preparation I would use The 10 Minute Lesson Planner which offer step by step directions in creating lesson plans. I would use blogs as a way to communicate with students. Overall, I would ensure that I learned the technology prior to implementation in my classroom and ensure effective utilization for best practices. Chapter 2: Cultural filters can make a difference as to whether your message is communicated clearly. Considering the potential diversity of the student you will teach, imagine teaching a unit on how the U.S. president is elected. Analyze the possible cultural filters that you need to address to ensure that the lesson is communicated accurately. List these filters, and suggest how you would overcome each. Cultural differences can occur in any classroom and it is important that instructors identify and remedy these differences to provide an encouraging and prosperous learning experience. I currently teach at an urban campus where there are a variety of ethnicities, age differences, socioeconomic backgrounds and learning abilities which can make instructional delivery difficult. Cognitive style (the way a student thinks) can be affected by cultural differences and can be apparent in the classroom. For instance, it could be challenging to explain the election process to a student from North Korea where they are accustomed to a dictatorship. It may take a bit more effort on the instructor’s part to ensure learning such as constant feedback from the student and flipping the classroom so that the student learns from not only the instructor but other students. Student’s cultural background affect their personal communication filters through personal values, and social belief system. The message, sent by the instructor, may be disrupted by the receiver (student) because of social norms as defined by the receiver’s cultural heritage. In the case of explaining the election process to the North Korean student, they may internally reject the idea of a democracy and thus miss crucial parts of the message because democracy is not socially accepted in their culture. According to Howard Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligence, students have “an array of talents… that together may form a profile of their intelligence”. Among those talents is the idea that students’ intrapersonal skills help them relate their learning to the world. In the instance of explaining the elections to the North Korean student, their intrapersonal view of the world may be different from other students that are from a democratic background so they may reject certain ideas that are crucial to the election process and may require a different approach in delivery of the message. Chapter 3: Many teachers write objectives and focus their instructions at the three lowest levels of Bloom’s taxonomy. Why do you think this happens? Do you believe it is an appropriate emphasis? How might it help or hurt the learners? I believe that many instructors follow the principle that it is a step wise approach. The first levels must be completed before reaching for the higher levels. The knowledge, comprehension and application must be achieved so that students can move forward to the analysis, synthesis and evaluation process. In order for students to analyze information or theories, thy must first have knowledge of the topic, be able to understand the 5 w’s (who, what, where, when and why) of the topic and be able to apply it effectively and when necessary. Once they are able to analyze the information as well as understand and apply it where necessary then they can synthesize new and unique theories of their own. Once they have the ability to create theories and apply them where/ when necessary then they can evaluate other theories or teach the already mastered theories to others (true mastery of the material). This theory helps learners in that they are able to progress in a linear manner and success is easily measured. From the student’s perspective scaffolding (following steps up the taxonomy levels) works because there is a foundation of knowledge to build upon. It may hurt the students because there are different learning styles in that some student may need to see the end result to understand the base theory. It may also hurt the more advanced students because they may lose interest. I believe that there should be as much focus on the top three taxonomy as there is on the bottom. In general, if we only focus on the bottom then students are less likely to achieve the top (evaluation or teaching). |
About the Author:
I am currently an instructor at a career college and a clinical scientist. BLOGROLL:
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