What have you learned from this online class? Describe your learning experience briefly.I have learned so much more than I thought I would learn, and I am so thankful for that. I expected to, like any other technology class I have taken, know at least half of the information beforehand. This class taught me there are so many different things I can use to teach children. I can create ANYTHING and it can benefit a student. There are programs that help me organize my ideas and thoughts into a format that looks presentable. I can collaborate with others and never even have to be in the same building as them. Technology is amazing and I get to teach children about it and that excites me. What were your weak and strong points? Explain.I believe one of my strong and weak points was my previous knowledge of technology. I understood how to use basic programs and even used a more advanced one for one project. I came into this class expecting so much and expecting to be ahead of what I thought was going to be the material. This both helped and hurt me. Another strong point is my creativity. There are so many ideas in my head when it comes to creating things, I have always prided myself on being a creative person. This helped me during our projects. I think my greatest weakness was how uncomfortable I felt recording myself for the Digital Story and Podcast. It feels so unnatural for me to be able to hear my voice outside of my head. How did you like the interaction between you and your peers, you and instructor? Explain in details. Provide examples if necessary.I really enjoyed the whole getting feedback from my group members thing. It felt like even though this is an online class, there is still human aspects to it. I also love how genuinely supportive my group was, not just to me, but to the other members as well. Everyone always had positive things to say about each others work, and even if there was criticism, it was done in a constructive and helpful manner. There was no demeaning or harsh language, just helpfulness and positivity, which I think is always a good thing to have. I had limited interaction with the instructor, but I did not have limited supply of information when it came to expectations of projects. For example, for every project, you clicked the assignment page, and listed there was basically an outline for exactly what Dr. Wang expected of us. She may not have sent out weekly emails or anything like that, but she didn't need to. She plainly displayed all the information I needed to effectively do the assignments. If I had a question, I could email her or her assistant, and her assistant was usually pretty quick to answer. I felt that as a team, they were fairly effective. Reflect on the communication tools used in this class. From your experience, explain the advantages and disadvantages of the communication tool you used most. Provide examples if necessary.When communicating with Dr. Wang and her assistant, I frequently used my USM email. However, halfway into September, EVERYTHING that was sent to me went directly into the spam folder. I went a week trying to figure out why I hadn't gotten any emails. When the email system worked properly, it was great. I can even see when the person I am emailing is online, if they have it set to notify people of their online status. Using that, I could gauge whether I could wait for an email response with the tab open, or if I should just check back later in the day, or the next day. Canvas messaging system is another method I used for contact. I think the main flaw is if a mass message is sent out and you aren't paying attention, when you go to reply to the instructor, you may end up replying to everyone in the group. I have seen this happen in a different class, but not this one specifically. Finally discuss your experiences with blogfolio. What aspects of blogfolio do you like most or lest? Explain in details.I really enjoyed tracking my journey through this class, and having a space to reflect on projects and chapters read in the book that weren't your average "one page double spaced twelve point font" summaries. I liked that I could customize it my own way and that not everyone would have the same exact layout or even ideas. I liked reading everyone's reflections and seeing how they felt about our different projects and reading their troubles they had and comparing them to my own. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this blogfolio, and would even do it again just for myself.
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Key Strategies for Integrating Technology into Second and Foreign Language Curricula![]() There are two types of language learners in a classroom with an English-speaking environment: English language learners and foreign language learners. I have been fortunate enough to be placed in the ELL classroom at the school I work at. Learning the English language is especially hard for these students because most of them cannot read and write in their native language. Unless they have been to school in a foreign country and immigrated to an English-speaking environment, they have no prior reading and writing experience, so they don't have any concept of language structure. According to Table 10.1 in the text, there are eight technology integration strategies. These are: support for authentic oral language practice and assessment, virtual collaborations, virtual field trips, teletandem experiences, support for practice in language subskills, presentation aids, support for text production, and productivity and lesson design support for teachers. The ones that I use most are presentation aids and support for authentic oral language practice and assessment. The students love using the Leapfrog "readers" as they call them. I frequently am looking up not only presentations to show them, but also videos on YouTube. Integrating Technology in Special EducationDue to IDEA (Public Law 101-476), the idea of students with disabilities inclusion in general education classrooms became prevalent to the point that by the 2000s, over 90 percent of students with disabilities spent most, if not, all of their day in general education classrooms. With the prevalence of technology in the classroom, many students with disabilities faced issues with computers. Students with limited mobility issues typically had problems with the keyboard or mouse. Those problems were addressed by computer manufacturers. They installed accessibility control panels on all computers shipped to the United States. They did not stop there, though. For those with problems reading the monitor, due to various disabilities, they added things like larger print options or text-to-speech technology. These adaptations to computers did not start out for students, though. They began creating them for the general public with disabilities and people soon realized they could use these technologies with their students with disabilities. As these were implemented into the classroom, they began being referred to as inclusive technology.
![]() This week's project was to create a website for a classroom. I made mine for a second grade classroom. I had quite a bit of fun with this project. I also have never stressed out about something more in my life than I did about this. I had quite a few occasions where when I saved, it didn't save so I would have to go in and redo a lot of my work. Other than that, I had a great time creating this. I found out a lot about different websites that I can use in the future. I collaborated with a few of the teachers I work with to come up with some things that are accurate to what our second graders actually do. Weebly is an incredible tool, when used right. I feel like with enough time and effort, I could create some incredible stuff. One thing I put a ton of work into is the Questions and Comments section. I figured out I can manipulate dates on the blog posts and used that to my advantage to make the website look accurately up to date. I posted blog posts basically talking about different events or projects going on at school, some were real and some were made up, and posted them to a blog page so that parents could comment and ask questions and other parents could see if they had the same question. I would respond publicly in the comments so they could all see. Below I have linked my classroom website. Mrs. Hebert's Second Grade Class Website
![]() This week our project was to create a rubric using rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php and a test and answer key online using www.easytestmaker.com/default.aspx. This was an interesting project because I didn't even know there was an online rubric generator or test creator. Before I started the project, I didn't understand why I couldn't just make it myself in Word or Excel. When I started making the rubric, I realized real fast that this program would generate the rubric explanations and I could change them if I wanted to. I didn't have to come up with the right wording for what I wanted to say, because Rubistar already had the wording perfect. With the test and answer key portion, I really enjoyed the website layout. I could create a question and decide that wasn't where I wanted it, so I could move it without having to copy and paste it where I wanted it then delete it from its previous spot. This just shows you that there is a website for everything and online tools are your friend. My rubric and test and answer key are below. I had issues getting the rubric to upload like the test and answer key, so I put it up as a downloadable file. ![]()
![]() The internet is used for everything nowadays, even school. In fact, the class I'm writing this for is online. There are infinite websites and tools that can be used in education. This chapter discusses audio and video based resources that can be used to design and develop teaching methods. The most common resources are videos and podcasts. This chapter made me think of my Art Appreciation class I took at JCJC. My teacher frequently showed us TedTalks, a popular video lecture series, relating to what we were doing that day. It also made me think of the digital story project we did last week. I created mine based around phonics. I feel like creating a video to teach children would be beneficial, especially if your school implements UDL (Universal Design for Learning) and you need alternate ways to express information to your students. This chapter also implements this week's project: creating a podcast. This would be very beneficial in hybrid classes or online classes. Many students are auditory learners and would retain what they heard better than what they read. While creating my podcast I ran into a few difficulties with volume and audio. First the microphone would not pick up my voice, then it picked up even the slightest breath I took. After trying multiple times only to be frustrated, I finally switched to my husband's computer and used his headset he uses for gaming. The audio came out much better and audible at that. It was an interesting project, but I am not a fan of hearing my own voice so I was a little nervous and stumbled on my words a bit. I have linked my project below, as well as included a downloadable file. Podcast Link Podcast Link: vocaroo.com/i/s0Q2gIcLkFNH ![]()
![]() This week, our project was to create a digital story. It was interesting to say the least. We had to create a video with narration, music, at least 5 pictures, and a video no longer than 2 minutes. I made mine on reading. How we go from the alphabet to reading books. I created a few pictures and got a few off a royalty free image website and got music off a royalty free music website. I recorded my narration on my iPhone and put it in my cloud to download and convert on my computer to be compatible with my video editing software. I used Sony Movie Studio Platinum 13.0, which I had purchased for a previous class. I recorded a video of my daughter singing the Alphabet Song and downloaded and converted it to be compatible with my software. Video editing is definitely not as easy as I thought it would be. I think the wort part was narrating, hearing myself talk makes me uncomfortable. Altogether, though, it was a fun project. Should I do this with children, I would definitely have them create a story about what they've learned. I think they would enjoy creating something and showing others what they created. I feel like they are more proud of their work when it is something creative and they can put their own personalities into it. Link to my video: https://youtu.be/fjjCqPvH63s Resources and Skills Required for Multimedia/Hypermedia Design, Development, and Integration9/21/2017 ![]() Multimedia and hypermedia are everywhere, but what are they? How do we create and use them? Multimedia is the presentation of text, graphics, animations, audio, and video. Hypermedia is software that allows information to be stored in various media, usually on the internet. Hypermedia is the combination of multimedia and hypertext (text that links to other text), it is linked or interactive media. An example of multimedia is a video. A link to an audio file on a website is an example of hypermedia. While there are countless hypermedia and multimedia online, for the sake of discussion, I will use YouTube for an example. YouTube is the largest video sharing website in the world, there are millions of users and channels, and millions of videos being posted a day. It is the perfect example of multimedia, as the premise of the website is videos, and hypermedia, as a text title or thumbnail picture links to a video. Most resources needed to create a YouTube video are at your fingertips. Most laptops and smartphones have cameras that can record videos. There is editing software that either comes with the computers operating system or could be downloaded, depending on what you want to do. Most of the softwares are easy to use and have tutorials to show you how to use certain features. Most of the skills for video editing is just clicking and typing certain things, which you can learn from tutorials or experience from playing with the software. I think it would be a cool idea to have children make a video about something they learned in class. They could make a powerpoint style video or even present an oral report in front of a camera. It would be a good project for maybe middle or high school students. It could possibly even be for older elementary school students. ![]() This week, we had a group assignment using Google products. Let me start by saying, I knew google has a lot of products but I didn't realize just what you can do with these products. It is incredible. Technology has come so far and it is amazing what we can do when we collaborate together even if we never even see each others faces. "Word processing software can be used to write anything from a book report to a speech. Spreadsheet softwares can be used to organize numerical data into chart format or create formulas for calculation. Presentation software creates slideshows based on information input." This is a quote from my last post, about productivity softwares and how they can be used. With this project, my group and I collaborated to do just these things. We wrote a story together, we made a spreadsheet and charts together, we created a slideshow together, we created and took a survey, and we had 3, in my opinion, good discussions, ALL USING GOOGLE! We never once had to plan to meet up somewhere or even call each other on the phone. We were able to do everything at our fingertips using Google, and if that isn't an incredible example of technology evolving to unimaginable heights, I don't know what is. My group and I worked hard together, and I believe our project showcases our hard work and the evolution of technology beautifully. I have placed the links to each individual part of our project below. LinksSpreadsheet:https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1LNNuqOaFJGheXUzNgEYlE2zmM71ynkfmKyzOVuQwlQk/edit?usp=sharing Story:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1G44UxAu5pb0GxAkEmUJf_9DjNQ0eySORRl0RiwHda-U/edit?usp=sharing discussion 1: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/it465fall17/zidMBY-ulbk discussion 2: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/it465fall17/uqeVFZHcx6E discussion 3: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/it465fall17/iBEv-v8aWWI Presentation:https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SawU0vPjfOsd5wsz2NWHfEVao6PEXTMZKNKXv2uvTYg/edit?usp=sharing Survey:https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfkwGINppMJfxjXQyGUIKNn21cBV5VWUBcHqc7HybbNGSCYjQ/viewform?c=0&w=1 Email Address
Instructional Software and its Uses ![]() Instructional software is defined as any software used to assist in instruction. This includes problem solving software, simulation, tutorial, drill and practice, and instructional games. Instructional games are what I am most familiar with. In my class, when students finish their work, they’re allowed time on the computer, using approved websites to play instructional games. Problem solving software teaches children the steps in the problem-solving process, as well as strategies that can be used to solve problems. Simulation is a computerized model of a real or imagined system used to teach how the system works. Tutorial software is used to teach skills. Drill and practice software assesses knowledge of skills. Features and Capabilities of Word Processing, Spreadsheets, and Presentation Softwares and Suggestions for Class Use Almost every classroom you enter will have word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation softwares. These softwares improve productivity, appearance, and accuracy. They also offer more support for interaction and collaboration. Word processing software can be used to write anything from a book report to a speech. Spreadsheet softwares can be used to organize numerical data into chart format or create formulas for calculation. Presentation software creates slideshows based on information input. Tools Used to Support Teaching and Learning for Teachers and Students There are seven categories of software tools. These are: materials generators, data collection and analysis tools, testing and grading tools, graphics tools, planning and organizing tools, research and reference tools, and content-area tools. Material generators help produce instructional materials on paper and online. Data collection and analysis tools collect and organize information to provide feedback and support decision making. Testing and grading tools help collect and track assessment information to measure progress. Graphics tools allow the manipulation of images to illustrate documents and web pages. Planning and reference tools allow students to look up information. Content-area tools support teaching and learning in various subjects.
Education Technology ![]() In this age, technology is everywhere, from at home to our pockets and purses, even on some of our wrists. We live in a world where technology is used for everything from researching a topic to socializing with friends and family. Technology is even in education settings. In my English as a Second Language classroom, we have three desktop computers and four laptop computers for students to use. The school my daughter will attend next year requires laptops for Kindergarten. Technology is everywhere. But why are there computers in the class? What is Educational Technology? Education Technology is defined in the book as "a combination of the processes and tools involved in addressing educational needs and problems, with an emphasis on applying the most current digital and information tools." But what does that mean? It means computers are put into the classroom to integrate them into the curriculum to teach alongside traditional curriculum. They also teach children basic computer skills. That being said, there can be problems. Issues in Education and Technology There are many issues within technology use. Many people feel that technology is a problem in the classroom. Cell phones cause distractions. When students are buy texting or tweeting, they are not paying attention. Cell phones also have GPS trackers in them and anyone can track these phones, which can be problematic in certain situations. Another issue is the way social media is frequently used. Many kids are bullied online, or cyberbullied, every day. Part of the problem with cyberbullying is it could be prevented if parents monitored social media. Possibly one of the worst problems is malware/phishing/hacking. Malware harms or corrupts data, but it doesn't get there on its own. Hackers use spyware to retrieve data from computers. Spyware is a form of malware. Phishing is sending people messages requesting personal information in an attempt to steal their identity. These are all issues that can happen in any technological setting. In the educational setting, there are those issues as well as others. I personally feel like the biggest problem is the "teacher-directed v. student-lead" debate on how classes should be taught with technology. I personally fell there should be a hybrid between the two. Another issue is a lack of funding. In my school district, we don't have excessive funding. Every school district is different and uses their funding differently. There is a big reliance on online learning now. I even have a friend finish high school online when she had her daughter. While it is wonderful and convenient, it takes away from social skills learned by interacting in class. While there are so many negatives, there are way more positives to technology in classes. We live in an age where technology is everywhere, so it is beneficial to teach our future doctors, lawyers, etc. to use what will be so instrumental to their futures. Learning Theories for Technology Integration Education is always changing, however, how children are taught is often modeled by theories developed by a small handful of theorists. But what does that have to do with educational technology? Often curriculum and educational technology are based on the learning theories. There are two key learning models often used. These are the directed integration and constructivist models. Directed integration includes the behaviorist, information-processing, and cognitive-behaviorist theories. This model encourages reinforcement and behavior learning methods. When using directed integration method, children are exposed to constant stimuli and reinforcement patterns. For example, in my ESL classroom, when we have the kindergarten classes, if they speak in English, they get a sticker. No English, no sticker. The other model is the constructivist model. This model includes the social activism, social cognitive, scaffolding, child development, discovery learning and child development, and multiple intelligences theories. This model uses mostly social experiences or cognitive learning. Its base belief is comprehension, interaction, exploration, and intelligence all tie into the learning process. We use this model with our older children. We read stories about Amelia Earhart or Eileen Collins. We have group discussions about our stories to explore everyone's perception of the story. I believe each model is best in its own way when used with different ages. Technology Integration Planning Model for Teachers The Technology Integration Planning Model was developed to help teachers use technology in their classrooms. It has three phases: Analysis of Teaching/Learning Needs, Designing and Integrating Framework, and Post-instruction Analysis/Revisions. My class is special in that we are a special assistance class, so we don't really work with the computers with students. We do allow computers during free time, though, as long as they stay on pre-approved websites. Source Integrating Educational Technology into Teaching seventh edition by M.D. Roblyer
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AuthorAleigha Hebert BLOG ROLL
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