on-line week... lesson plan and input on class

Lesson Plan info....
I enjoyed planning the lesson. It was helpful for me to see all the different ways to incorporate technology into a 15 min. short lesson plan. We did not run into any major problems while creating our lesson plan. The only trouble we had was picking a subject since our majors are totally different. We are ready to teach our lesson plan after the break. We have briefly practiced the layout with each other during class.

Classroom views...
I feel like this class was very, very helpful in showing me lots of different techniques to include technology in my teaching. I was unfamiliar with most everything we learned, i.e. interactive white boards, blogs, podcast. I think doing the journal reviews was helpful in seeing how technology has worked as well as not worked for other people. I do not feel like anything should have been different, the class was well taught.
I definitely think that it is a must for teachers to know how to use technology in the classrooms. We have to be able to keep up with the way of our students in order to be able to keep their attention.

Voice Thread

I think that the Voice Thread is a really neat tool. It can be helpful to get your point across without typing a huge post. Also, it can be beneficial to hear someones voice in order to detect what kind of enthusiasm is in their voice, whether they are being serious or sarcastic. I would use voice threads in my lesson plan and I would also use them in my classroom. This is a good way for students to be able to communicate without actually being in the classroom.

PowerPoint

The topic we chose for our blog is "Integrating Technology in the Classroom". My partner is Colette Long. She is a very good partner. We have the same major as well as a lot of similar ideas. I think that we work well together. We are making good progress on our project and I think it will be an overall success. Working together with Colette is much better than working alone.

Week 7- video games, technology, podcasts, etc...

Wow, at the beginning of Chapter 7, it lists all the ways Melissa, a typical teenager, is using technology in a 5 minute span. I cannot imagine keeping up with all this without my head spinning. I can multi-task fairly well, but not like that. This demonstrates how advanced our younger generations are. I don't think its quite possible for teachers to go to this extent and be able to match all the technology kids are using. I think blogs are a great way of incorporating technology into the classroom and also in class chat rooms when working on a group project, but that's as far as I would consider teachers going with social technology. I feel that anything more would be distracting and students would take advantage.

I think online chats in the classroom can be both helpful and harmful. They can be helpful in the way of increasing communication and allowing easy collaboration. It encourages all the students to share their ideas and they can do it without having to speak aloud. I do view that it could be harmful if it wasn't regulated. If students got off topic or were distracted from the teachings of the class, this could be harmful to the learning environment.

Yes there are benefits to asynchronous, text-based communication over synchronous, face to face communication. The book list 3 important advantages of text-based communication. The first being, computer conferencing can support discussions, debates, and collaborative efforts among groups of people who are at a distance. They do not have to be in the same place to converse and learn. A second advantage is that computer conferencing enables learners to reflect on their ideas or responses before making them. Thinking about what you are going to say before you say it is fostered by computer conferences. Third is different kinds of thinking can be scaffolded in computer conferences. Computer conferences can guide and scaffold students as they make comments, reminding them of needed support and development, and archiving past conversations for future use.

Podcasts can enhance student learning. By making audios or videos available for view at the student's convenience makes a big difference. Subscribing to a category can also be a great way to collect useful information about a topic. You don't even have to search, the information comes to you. You can also store it on your ipod, iphone, computer, etc. This makes it easily accessible to you, even if the internet is unavailable. I think podcasts are a great way to deliver important information.

I think videogames can help improve your studying. By using a game to practice your skills, you are incorporating competitiveness and are going to be driven to get the answers right. Playing a game also makes studying more fun. I find that using trivia to study helps me a lot. I remember what I got wrong and I'm sure to not get it wrong .again. Videogames can mix up the concepts so you have to know the information well to be able to get the answer right.

You can gain studying skills from video games. It's helpful in figuring out how you learn information best and in which order your mind works. When I have children, I will certainly let them play videogames, however, they will probably not be part of their everyday routine, unless, they are based on their current curriculum. Playing for fun is always good and increases their technology skills, but I think kids need other interactions in their routines as well.

Week 5-Personalities

I like to talk and I think that you can learn more by conversing than by using traditional instruction. Sometimes when I read, I get lost in other thoughts and I'm not able to focus on the topic. I think by communicating with each other, things can be better explained and real life examples are used. I believe this because we are individually teaching my History of Mathematics class by giving group presentations every class meeting and I think I've taken much more from that then I would from reading the book alone.

Yes, I do believe that every student learns differently. We all have different personalities as well as different events to deal with in our lives. I think the personality test is helpful in pointing out things about yourself and your personality that you may not have realized. It makes you think about how you really function. So according to the test, I do feel like it could be helpful for me and my students to be familiar with the points of my personality.

Spreadsheets

I think spreadsheets can be very useful in the classroom. They can be used to create assignments as well as grade sheets. Spreadsheets create an organized table that can be altered very easily. Material aids can be created easily using spreadsheets by entering data and pasting pictures in a neat format. I will definitely be using spreadsheets in my classroom.

Spreadsheet have an advantage over your calculator because you are able to track your addition and see exactly what grades make up an average. We use this in order to stay organized and have a record for every student of every assignment.

The books lists the three primary functions as: storing, calculating, and presenting information. This basically sums up the operations of a grade book. You store their grade and information about the assignments. Then you calculate the grade to come up with an average. This average is presented to the student. Presenting information also includes the functions of a visual aid. I can't think of any other functions to add to these that aren't already covered. The book did a good job of explaining the important of using spreadsheets.

WOW Inspiration-Chapter 4-5

WOW!! I am amazed with Inspiration!! I have never seen or heard of this before and the entire time I was watching the instructional demo I was thinking to myself ways that this would be useful to me. It would be an excellent way to lay out my lesson plan in the classroom. Especially since it's so easy to add to it. I could use my layout on a projector for the kids to follow. Also, I could use it as an aid in making worksheets. I noticed one of the programs was a test prep! That would be an awesome way to help students prepare. The possibilities of Inspiration in the classroom are endless :)

From the Chapter 4 in the book, I found the information about PowerPoints and Concept Maps to be the most beneficial. PowerPoints are an excellent way for students to write because they can incorporate facts, pictures, and other information to support their ideas. Concept Maps are helpful in the way of organizing ideas and brainstorming.
I also think peer feedback is extremely important. As the book states directly, "It will cause them to write with a purpose, and to compare their own work to the work of others" (71). I find from taking online classes and doing discussion posts weekly, I put more thought into my work if I know that my teacher isn't going to be the only one reading it. This has a great impact on younger students as well. By grading someone else's work, you realize how to make yours better and spend more time expressing your thoughts.
I don't remember the very first time I taught something, however I did have a group presentation in History of Mathematics last week. I was very nervous to talk in front of the entire class and was afraid that I wouldn't be able to make my point. I read and read the material to make sure that I would be able to give the class the same understanding I had. I wanted people to ask questions to make sure the material was understood. After the presentation, I am now and expert at Egyptian Hieratics. :) I think the best way to thoroughly learn something is to teach it to someone else. If you can make someone else understand, you have to understand.