Post # 10

The blog that I chose to look at was Alex Crawford's. The topic that I found most interesting on her blog was the post about powerpoint. I think that she brought up some very excellent points about how it can be frustrating for student's when the teacher's click too fast through the slides. Also, some student's only write down what is on the slide, which can be problematic when there is only very broad topics on there. I know from my own experiences that dealing with power point can be a pain, especially if the color schemes don't quite go together, because it can be difficult to read from far away. I also thought that her point on bringing computers into the elementary aged setting is something that is important and beneficial to their educational growth. Alex had some great points on technology and I found her blog to be interesting to read. 

The technology skill that I would most like to learn next is Microsoft Access. It is a program that I have on my computer, but I have absolutely no clue what it's purpose is. The reason that I want to learn more about this program is so that I can be as familiar with all forms of technology as I can. I think that as technology grows and becomes more integrated into our lives, it is imperative to be savvy with the different tools that are available through it. Another reason I think it is important to learn about Access is that it could lead me to find new things to do with my student's that would help to further educate them, or to help keep me on track as I teach them new things.

A way that I could learn about Microsoft Access is by going online and trying to find tutorials of it. I could also just explore the program and see if I can figure out what it is all about on my own. Another way that I could become familiar with this and other forms of technology is by attending more classes on technology, or workshops that are available. I think it is important to stay up to date and to keep on track with what is happening in the technology world. I hope to achieve my educational technology goals and to use all of the skills that I have learned this semester as I go through my years at Florida State, and then later on as a teacher. 

Post # 9

The online tool that I looked at was on learning more about Marine Ecology. The website I found that was pretty interesting was http://www.secretsatsea.org. It is a website that would be useful in an elementary school setting, such as grades 3-5. It was interactive learning that would teach the student's facts about the ocean and how they can do things to help keep it clean. It is in essence an adventure game that the student's take to learn more about the ocean.

In the game, the student's must complete tasks that are related to what they learn as they go through the game. As they answer more questions, they get closer to solving the case. In this particular website, they are learning about whales. They find out what they eat, where they live, and other facts. There is a vocabulary sheet there to enhance what they are learning through the game. I think that this website could be extremely helpful in teaching young children about marine life and how to take care of the ocean. It is very kid friendly and easy to use and I think it would be a great tool to use in a classroom.

Another tool that I could use as a teacher is Excel. I think that I could use Excel and similar programs as a teacher. I could use this spreadsheet tool to keep track of student's grades and to help keep them organized in one place. I could also use it in a class project in a 7th grade science classroom as a way of organizing data. For example, if the student's were doing an experiment on plants, they could use Excel to keep track of plant growth, how much water they give the plants and other variables that are involved in the experiment. They could also develop charts on the program to help present their data in an well organized fashion. In chapter 13, it mentions various ways to use spreadsheets. I could use Excel to create charts and graphs that would present data on what we are learning. I could also use it to help calculate numbers that we are dealing with or to calculate grades. I think that using Excel as a teacher would be very beneficial and will enable me to keep track of grades in an easy manner.

Post # 8

For the powerpoint 2 assignment, I created a powerpoint that was a math review that incorporated the upcoming holiday of Thanksgiving. Following the guidelines set up in Chapter 8, I made sure that the text was easy to read against the background. I also used different kinds of graphics, incorporating some from WordArt, google images, and clip art. I never used more than 3 fonts per screen, and kept the colors consistent and less than 4. Each of the screens only had one purpose idea, either a question, or the answer that went along with the previous screen. I never used flashing text. All of the buttons that were included had a purpose that was quickly discovered once it was clicked on. I think that the powerpoint presentation that I created followed the guidelines in Chapter 8 very closely. As can be seen in the image on the left, I used consistent fonts, simple graphics that are relevant to the slide, and had a button that was clear and easy to use. 

There are a few ways that I can incorporate peripherals into a classroom. I can use printers to allow students to print off a project that they are working on. I can have them use cameras to capture photographs of something out of the classroom and bring back the pictures to incorporate into a project. In a classroom, we could also use video cameras to produce movies on what we are learning and show how it appears in life. For example, if they are learning about exercise, the students could make a movie to show different kinds of exercise and how to do each of those. I could use these peripherals with computer based technologies by having them take what they have made and put it onto the computer to present it to the class. They could make it into a powerpoint presentation, such as putting their pictures onto powerpoint to make a slideshow. There are many different options that are available to student's today.  

Some new skills that I have acquired within the last week or so that will enable me to further my teaching career are learning to be more adept with using the powerpoint program. I discovered some tools on there that I did not know existed before. I think that they will further enhance my teaching experience and allow my lessons to be given in an interesting manner. By using powerpoint, I can deliver lessons in an organized manner and also include videos, sounds, and graphics where appropriate. Powerpoint has a lot to offer and I think it will only make my teaching habits better and will allow me to use technology in a way that will be easy for students to understand. 

Post # 7

What I find to be the biggest advantage of presentation software in a K-12 setting is that it offers a different format to learn information from. Using software such as powerpoint can give a students the ability to learn from pictures, texts, animations, sounds, and movie clips. I think that powerpoint allows for all different learning styles to be attended to because it enables the teacher to put all of these things into the slides. I feel there are disadvantages to this however because if powerpoint has to be viewed off of a television screen, it can be hard for a student to see. When I was in school, this is how I had to view powerpoint and I always found it difficult because the screens are to small and there would be too much information on the slides. Overall, however, I feel that powerpoint is advantageous in a classroom environment.
I might use powerpoint to support student learning by perhaps creating presentations that can be used by the individual student. I could make a vocabulary game or have a math quiz. In a particular lesson, I could use powerpoint in teaching a lesson on Vocabulary words. I could use this to exhibit different words followed by their definition and then showing it used in a sentence.
With educational technology, I have now learned how to use technology in a classroom setting. I think it is interesting how there are so many options available to use to teach students. Before this class, I was not really aware how many different sources of technology there was that could be used in a classroom. One tool that I would really use in a classroom is definitely Powerpoint. I think that it could help me organize and present my information in a clear manner, as well as give student's the notes in a written manner.

Post # 6

I think that the use of Web 2.0 Technologies in a K-12 classroom would be very beneficial. I think that the web provides a lot of unique information that can be accessed with your fingertips. By using web technologies, I believe that students will only benefit from it by finding out more information about what they are studying and by seeing many different vantage points that are out there on that subject. Web 2.0 provides a better learning experience, I believe, because there are more media's available to learn the material from. It can be presented not only in text format, but also in videos, pictures, and animations. I would use Web 2.0 in my classroom because I think that there is so much to be gained by using it. The way that I would use it is by having my students look up different things on the subject we are studying. I would teach them which websites are appropriate for research, and what sites should be avoided. I would also use sites such as YouTube to give them videos to watch on something we are studying. Also, I could have them make websites such as Wikis for class projects to help teach the class about a topic. I would also incorporate a blog site for class discussions. I think that Web 2.0 would help my students better themselves in ways they didn't know were possible. 

When it comes to Wikipedia, however, I would be very cautious in using this as a learning resource. Because of the nature of the website, where anybody can edit the material, I think I would be wary of using this as a source for information, especially for a research paper. Some of the information on there could be false, and I would not want my students to be led astray by something that was posted on Wikipedia. I think the idea behind Wikipedia is good in general, but using it for formal work is probably not something that I would encourage. I think that if you are looking at Wikipedia for fun that you could gain more knowledge, but you could never be sure that everything you read is true. 

Some new skills that I have acquired within the last week that I think would be beneficial to my educational career are learning about Wikis. I think that these webpages are an awesome idea that I could use for my students to create and share things that they learn about with each other. I think that Wikis would enable my students to have a more connected learning experience with each other. Another new skill that I have learned this month is Inspiration. I think that this will help in my career because I could organize and present information in a creative manner. These skills will help my education career because I will be technologically savvy in many different areas and this will help me to teach to all types of learning styles. Technology will help me become a great teacher. 

Post # 5

Using the internet to support student research can be very helpful when it is used in the right manner. If is used to better research, then it can be advantageous to the research that the student is doing. When the internet is used properly, the results can be fantastic. I have found this tool in my own academic experience to be extremely rewarding. I think that using the internet can help lead students' in the right direction when it comes to doing a research project, or to help them find new and innovative ideas for a project. Beneficial as this tool may be, it does have some negative consequences that make a student's research a little more difficult. Because of it's nature to be easy to use for all, the internet makes plagiarizing an even easier task to accomplish. When this comes into the picture, it makes the internet seem as a bad tool for students to use in their work. As exhibited in chapter 3, it shows that using the internet can be resourceful. For example, the internet provides various forms of the information. It is not only presented in text, but also in sounds, movies, and pictures. Some downfalls for the internet is that it can give faulty information. Not everything you read online is true, and websites such as Wikipedia allow anybody to edit their articles. With Wikipedia, you are far less likely to find good, factual information, than if you looked in a printed version of a book that you find in a library. 

Web-based resources might support student learning in several ways. It can allow the student to find information more quickly, with the push of a few buttons, rather than taking a long time to find it in a library. Another way that web-based resources can support student learning is to offer them more than just text to enhance the learning process. Videos and animations can help to give the student a more in-depth look at a subject. 

My concern as a teacher supervising students that use technology based resources would be that they would use the technology incorrectly. For example, if I was teaching 8th grade Science, and I requested my student's to do a report, there would be the danger that the student's might plagiarize something that they found on the internet. They might also find incorrect information that would lead them astray in their endeavors to write a report. I think it could become difficult for my students to know what information is credible and likewise what is not. My job as a teacher supervising the student's would be to teach them what is good information and what sites are most appropriate to lead them to the information that they need. I would want to make sure that they found the very best information that could lead them to learn more about the subject. 

Post # 4

As a teacher, I would make use of some of the ideas presented in Chapter 7. Some of the ideas that I would use in my classroom would be to use outlines, storyboards, and flow charts. These things are useful for taking data and organizing them into ideas in a central location. The way that I would use them is if we were writing a research paper or if we were trying to find similarities between subjects. A type of technology that I could use to achieve these goals in a classroom is by using the Inspiration program. This program was really neat to use and I think that it would help students to see the bigger picture of what they are trying to study. It would also allow them to be creative and to find different ways to present their material. 

I would encourage my students to use outlines, idea maps, and storyboards. I would do this because I find it very useful when I am trying to learn about something or am trying to organize my information in a way that allows me to see my work more clearly. These skills are very useful to have in a classroom setting and help people to stay on task. If something didn't fit exactly into what they were trying to convey, then a storyboard may help them to realize this before they include useless information. Idea maps also help to keep information focused around a main topic and see how it relates to what they are doing. 

Some new skills that I have acquired in the last week that would be useful to me in my educational career are becoming acquainted with Inspiration. This program will help me when I am trying to teach my students to organize data. This also helps to let out their creative energy and allow them to become more connected with their projects. I think that this skill will be useful to me in the long run because I will be able to help explain subjects I am trying to teach in a more creative and organized manner. With Inspiration, I will be able to include pictures in concept maps that I create and it will allow me to present things in a unique and interesting manner. 

Post # 3

A lesson plan that I might create would use would be to use a power point to present the material to the class. I would use it by making the presentation innovative by incorporating sound effects, movie clips, and facts that are relevant to the class. The PowerPoint would be used to present information on United States history for juniors in high school. My lesson plan would be to have a funny clip to grasp their attention and then present the facts in an exciting way. I would integrate sound effects to make the point stand out in their minds, and to be sure that they remember what the slide just taught them.

The website that I am critiquing is www.fsu.edu . The website makes good use of Rule 2: Orient Users. It has screen headings, menus, and individual facts, such as pictures with details about the University. Everything is easy to access because of the side bar that allows you to quickly get to whatever it is you are looking for. The search bar allows you to get to something by specifically typing in what you are looking for. The homepage also has pictures that are linked to different stories about the university and offer the viewer a quick glimpse of University life. The homepage also follows Rule 4: Limit Style types and Rule 5: Limit Colors. The page carries the same font style throughout, with menus typed in bold to be found quickly and easily. It also limits colors because it uses the color scheme of black and red. By following these two rules, it makes the website easy to read and to navigate. The website also follows Rule 9: Use Upper and Lowercase, Rule 10: Keep text lines short, and Rule 12: Simplify the Structure. It follows Rule 9 by capitalizing where necessary, such as at the beginning of a sentence and using lower case with words that follow. The page follows rule 10 by making the links that go to news and events short and sweet with 10 words or less. It follows rule 12 by making the page very easy to navigate because of its buttons and presenting the information clearly.

My experience with copyright and fair use of materials in an education environment is mainly when I am writing an academic research paper. I always cite my sources in a works cited page and throughout the composition itself. It is very important not to plagiarize in any environment and it is crucial to make sure you give credit where credit is due.  I would deal with these concepts as a teacher by explaining to my students exactly what plagiarizing is and why it is important to cite your sources. I would teach them how to cite things properly and how to make sure that everything is used in its proper manner. In an academic environment, I would show my students how they should properly use copyrighted material and to incorporate it into their academic lives. I would develop my own instructional materials by making an assignment that makes them read a paragraph that a “student” has written based off of “research” they did. I would ask them whether they cited things properly or if it was plagiarized. I would have my students create their own works using sources by having them produce research papers based on something that they are truly interested in learning more about. 

Post # 2

As a student, I have used Microsoft Word to write formal papers, type up homework, and to make up tables and charts. It is one of the programs that I most frequently use when I am on a computer. Microsoft Word has made my academic career so much easier because it allows me to edit things much more quickly than with pen and paper. I have seen my teachers use Microsoft Word to present documents to the class. They also use it to give me written instructions on an assignment.

In chapter 9 of the text, it spoke about word processing. It had some useful ideas about it and reasons to incorporate it into a classroom setting. For example, studies have shown that using a word processor has made it easier for people with learning disabilities to be able to write. Typing can help their coordination that might not be there with the traditional pen and pencil. This fact would be very helpful when trying to teach someone with a learning disorder such as dyslexia.

Word processor also allows things to be edited faster than with regular paper and pencil by using the cut and paste method. You can also insert new lines with the click of a button while with handwritten works, you have to recopy everything onto a new sheet of paper if you make a mistake. Word processor allows for a margin of error and it is less stressful to have to go back and edit. This part of the chapter I felt applied to me in a lot of ways. When I am writing a draft, it very often changes from what I originally planned on writing on. I often think of something and write it, and then end up reordering my ideas. Using a word processor such as Microsoft Word has made my writing much easier because I can erase anything I mess up with a click of a button.

Another thing that the word processor helps to incorporate into papers and reports is the use of detailed graphics. You can insert graphs, clip art, and tables. All of these things look neat and presentable when they are computerized as opposed to the usual sloppy mess of their hand drawn counterparts.

The chapter also specifically mentioned that spell checker can be ineffective. I have learned this through my own experience because when I have gone back and proofread, the spell checker has changed some of the words that I intended to be there to something that I did not want. It can sometimes read a sentence wrong and then it's whole purpose of being a useful tool is defeated. If I was teaching and my students needed to use word processor for a report, I would probably have the spelling and grammar checking tool turned off.

In this class, I want to be able to learn to incorporate Microsoft Word as a teaching tool for my future students. I hope that I can find innovative ways to teach them how to first use Word and then how to complete assignments on there. What I have learned so far is how to make documents look aesthetically pleasing. I have also learned what powerpoint slides should and should not look like to make them easier for students' to learn from.

Post # 1

I think computers are a critical part of the educational experience. In chapter 1, the book talked about using the computed to "improve analytical thinking" among the students. This point really got me thinking of how I could use a computer to engage my students in the learning process and to open their eyes to what it is that is being taught. I think that it is important with the rise of technology for my students to be able to use the computer as a learning tool in the classroom. I think that if they use them, they will get more out of their learning experience and it will become more hands on. My hope is that the computer will help them to engage in what is happening inside the classroom and then be able to apply their experiences to outside life.

The chapter also said how it was important for the teacher to be just as computer literate as the students in the room. I think this statement is very true because if a teacher is not able to do something with the computer and a child much younger is, it is almost as if the child is becoming the teacher. It is important for children to offer some new information to a teacher, but it is even more important that a teacher always have control of a classroom, I believe.

I would use computers in the classroom by having my students use programs such as paint to express their creative sides, Microsoft Word to develop papers and reports, and to use the internet for research. In this class, I hope to learn how to take control if there was an issue with a computer and learn how to solve the problem by thinking through the different possibilities. I want to be able to use a computer to teach my students in new and innovative ways. I think I could accomplish this by using power point to show presentations, using Microsoft word, and by even using a photographs that would relate to the lesson. I am confident that this class will provide me with the skills that I need to become a great educator that can incorporate the use of technology.

Something that I would like to share with the class is that I am really looking forward to learn how to be a teacher and to help others learn new things. I am excited to take this class and to find out new things about technology that will help me later in life.

Post # 0

My prior experiences with technology have been primarily using the internet to connect with friends, check email, and to do research for school projects. Other than the internet, I have used the computer to play games. I have also used the computer to store and organize my photos and to create photo presentations. I have used powerpoint before and Microsoft Word. The other kinds of technology that I have used have been an iPod, a digital camera, and my cell phone. I also am familiar with Windows XP and am getting used to Windows Vista. I think I am pretty savvy when it comes to technology since I have grown up in a generation that is constantly using technology to their advantage.

What I hope to learn in this class is how to use technology to teach others something new. I also want to learn how to use Excel to make spread sheets and how they would be useful in a classroom setting. I also want to learn how to integrate technology as a learning tool for if I become a teacher. Another thing I hope to take away from this class is how to use a podcast and learn how to do more with blogs. I hope this class will also expand on my knowledge of technology and enable me to do more things with it.

What I have learned about my own learning style from the questionairre is that I am an active, sensor, verbal, and sequential learner. I was somewhat surprised at the results though because I never thought that I was a verbal learner. I always thought of myself as more visual because I tend to learn things better when I see them written down. However, the results were pretty much in the middle, so it made sense anyhow. I think these results will be useful to me as a student so I know what to focus on when trying to study and to learn in class.