ILP 2: FSU Digitech

          For my ILP 2, I visited FSU Digitech. There were many exhibits on the different technological projects being developed at FSU. Check out some of the cool projects by watching my VoiceThread here!

Blog Journal 9: April 4, 2019

          The Flipped Classroom is the name for a style of teaching that reverses the traditional order of instruction. Traditionally, a teacher teaches a lesson in class and explains concepts. Then, students are sent home with activities relating to the lesson for homework. However, the order is opposite in The Flipped Classroom. For homework, students learn the lesson, usually through the form of an online video. In class, the teacher can lead students in activities and working through problems that apply the lesson. Some people prefer The Flipped Classroom to the traditional, but others argue that it may not be the best approach because of the digital divide and how it requires students to have access to technology.
          OER refers to open educational resources. These resources are available for anyone to use, share, and change how they want. They are free, but credit should always be given. The International Society for Technology in Education posted an article that suggests five OERs because there are so many out there. One of the resources in the article is edmodo.com's "Spotlight" function that allows teachers to search for exactly the kind of OER they are looking for to save them time. Additionally, gooru.org offers free courses and lesson plans. Check out the article here.
          Both of the PowerPoint Assignments taught me many new skills to use in the future. In Assignment 4, I learned how to do a voice recording over a PowerPoint, and I learned the difference between animations and transitions. In Assignment 5, I learned how to disable linear navigation and use action buttons to transition from slide to slide. I also learned how to input a sound effect using a sound effect action button. I do not like the design of my Assignment 4. Next time I would make sure there was a picture or graphic on each slide and that the background was more exciting than a solid color. However, I really liked the content of the assignment, and I thought I did a job teaching how to write a paper. For my Assignment 5, I think that I should have varied my slide layouts more because it seems a bit repetitive and boring. However, I think I made good use of photos and graphics.

Quick 5 Item Survey

Hey everyone! In EME2040, we are learning to use Qualtrics. I made this quick survey. If you're interested, check out the link here!

March 26, 2019: Blog Journal 8
          I have learned a lot from working with Diigo. Diigo and Twitter have been the first times I have used tags, so I learned how to categorize articles with relative tags in Diigo. I have also learned how to annotate articles that I will share with the group and how to comment constructively on others' articles and annotations. I word my annotations and sticky notes so that other people in the group can understand and expand upon my comments. The application can be useful in a classroom because as a teacher, I can ask a discussion question on Diigo, and my students can answer questions and reply to each other. This develops their online discussion etiquette. With team members, I can share articles on Diigo that are relevant to our project and annotate the articles in a way that prompts discussion and communicates my views. For my individual professional efforts, I can use the Diigo tag function to categorize articles that I find useful or interesting so I can come back to them when they are relevant to me.
          PowerPoint is a very versatile tool that I could use to support learning at each level of Bloom's Taxonomy for a lesson. For example, if I was teaching about the water cycle, I could support the "remember" level by creating a question and answer on a slide where the shape over the answer disappears with a click. For "understand," I could create a Smart Art graphic that shows the steps of the water cycle. For "apply," I could make a choose your own adventure presentation with action buttons and hyperlinks where the students can go through the journey of a water droplet and apply what they have learned to choose the correct path. For "analyzing," I could have have scenarios on slides, such as what happens to salt water, where the students would have to break down the steps of the cycle in order to understand. They could click to reveal an answer that makes an animated entrance.  For "evaluate," I could have slides with true or false statements, and if the students click true or false, the hyperlink will take them to a slide that tells them if they are right or wrong and why. For "create," I would have students make a short PowerPoint presentation on the water cycle that they will present to the class.
          Technology changes rapidly, so it is important for teachers to work on professional development in order to be educated on new technology that they can share with their students. Teachers should stay on top of new developments in technology so that they can implement innovative education strategies and teach their students rather than having the students teach them about technology. It may be difficult for teachers to find the time for professional development, so I think incorporating it into social media increases efficiency. To stay informed, teachers can follow Twitter accounts on education technology. With a quick search, I found many including @techineduau. This account posts about technology in education and shares new innovations and unique ways that educators use technology. Some of their posts include one about drones used in a photography class and one about using coding to make a robot walk. They are from Melbourne, Australia. Check out the account here.

March 7, 2019 - Blog Journal 7
          So far, my experience from Twitter has been mostly positive. I love learning new things from my classmates and organizations that I follow. Today, one of my peers tweeted about how theatre education can help students who will one day become doctors because they develop communication skills that will help them collaborate and share their work. I had never thought about theatre that way before I read her tweet. The benefits of using Twitter include connecting with people you would otherwise never meet. When I participated in a Twitter chat, I got to learn from teachers who live across the country. Another benefit of Twitter is that you can learn about new resources. Today I learned that JSTOR just added a new function that allows you to share articles with other people in your class. The only issue I have with Twitter is that sometimes I can get carried away scrolling, and it distracts me from my work.
          The Web Design assignment was the first time I had ever created a website, so I learned a lot of new skills. I learned how to embed a calendar that automatically updates. I also learned how to embed a Create Commons license. Overall, I felt that Weebly was very straight forward to use. Creating a website was easier than I thought it would be. I liked how you can drag in images or text boxes and create multiple pages. However, I felt that uploading images was not very user-friendly. I could not figure out how to change the size of my images. I think next time I could improve my website by making it look more aesthetically pleasing. In hindsight, my color scheme does not match, and the overall design is too simple. I would add more images to make it more exciting. In my future career, if I become a teacher, I could create a website for my class and include announcements and a calendar. This would keep my students and their parents informed. Check out my website here.
          Assistive and adapted technologies help make learning accessible to all students, including those who are disabled or who cannot come to school. For example, an audio version of a textbook can help those who are visually impaired, and closed captions on videos can help those who are deaf. I knew someone who was visually impaired who used a screen reader program in order to access information on the Internet and on apps. The text would be read out loud by the program. If I were a teacher, I think I would be challenged by adaptive technologies if I had a student who was homebound. I would gladly work to make sure that the student was still learning course work, but it would be a challenge to record extra lectures, write notes, and adapt assignments to be online for the student. I would hope that my school would offer adequate resources and support so that this would not be a challenge for me.

Blog Journal 6: Feb. 28, 2019

          I visited the Leon High School Website. On the homepage, there was a tab dedicated to teacher pages. The teachers were listed alphabetically with links to their respective pages. Not all of the teachers had information posted, but some kept an updated page. For example, a physics teacher had an "about me" page with contact information and a short bio. He also had links to the syllabi and class procedures for both his honors and AP courses. Additionally, there were links for resources for students to find extra help. A French teacher posted links to Quizlet sites for French 1 and French 2 as well as links to a list of vocabulary words and syllabi. Check out the Teacher Website Directory here.
          While we were searching for teacher productivity tools in class today, I found many that help you from getting distracted. The tools block websites that you may be tempted to visit when you should be working on something and show you how long you spend on each site. I think I would benefit from these tools because I tend to get distracted when I work on my laptop, so I will start using one. I think I will also start using Google Calendar to list all of my important dates. I don't like to carry around a planner, so this could help me stay organized without having to write things down.

           The technology that stuck out to me most at the Technology Sandbox was the 3D pens. I had heard of them, but I had never seen one used. I was so impressed when I used it to draw straight up. I think this would be a great resource for students to take a hands on approach to learning. Traditional lessons may help students that are auditory or visual learners, but I think implementing a tool like the 3D pen would be an effective way to teach students who are kinesthetic learners. A 3D pen would be especially helpful in a science class. If I was a science teacher, I would have my students use it to create a model of the cell. In a math class, students could use it to create different shapes like types of triangles. This would help students be excited about math class. One of the pens in the Sandbox was designed specifically for kids and was not hot to the touch, so that would be a great resource for younger students.

       

ILP "Participation" - #aplitchat Education Twitter Chat

          For my ILP, I participated in a Twitter chat for teachers of AP Literature. We answered questions to analyze a poem together and shared teaching strategies. I really enjoyed the poem and reading other people's perspectives. This would be a great resource for any English teacher. Check out my VoiceThread here.

Blog Journal 5: February 19, 2019
          I enjoyed using Diigo to bookmark and tag articles and share them with my group. I liked Diigo because I think it is a great way to stay organized while doing research or keep track of any interesting web pages I come across. I often come across articles that I want to read but do not have time, so Diigo will be a convenient way for me to save articles in the future. The only part I do not like is that the library section does not look aesthetically pleasing and could get cluttered when I add more articles.
         So far I have enjoyed blogging because I can reflect on what I have learned in class. My favorite part about blogging is interacting with my classmates by reading their blogs and leaving comments. I think it is interesting to see different points of view.  However, I do not like knowing that my blog is public and anyone can read it. The blogging process has taught me how to express my thoughts and feelings into a post that can be easily understood by readers.
          I would definitely use the website Quizlet to teach. Quizlet allows you to create flashcards for terms and concepts. I think Quizlet is a great resource because it offers more than virtual flashcards. You can listen to pronunciations to practice spelling and play games with the terms. Teachers can also create groups for their classes and assign activities to complete. However, if I ever implement Quizlet, I would have to consider the digital divide and make sure that all students could have access to it. Quizlet can be used on mobile devices with the app, so that allows more students to use it. If students want more practice, they can search for a topic and use flashcard sets that other users have created. Check out Quizlet today by clicking this link!

Blog Journal 4: February 13, 2019
          So far, I have enjoyed using Twitter, and it has enhanced my experience in EME 2040. I mostly interact with other students in the class and the EME 2040 course account. I like interacting with my peers on Twitter because we follow up on what we discuss in class. About a week ago, some of us chose to write about the digital divide in our journals, and then we also discussed it on Twitter later. It was nice to continue the conversation outside of class. In my future career, I can see myself using Twitter to connect with other people in my field and share my ideas like how my class shares ideas on Twitter. I can also follow accounts that share articles and interesting news about my field.
          Because of the digital divide, some students have more access to technology than others. Those who have computers and internet connection at home may feel more comfortable with technology and do better on assignments relating to technology because of their ease in access to it. However, not all students have technology at home, so they may have a harder time completing online assignments. Students that grow up without a lot of exposure and access to technology in their homes and school may be less equipped to use technology in the workforce. The digital divide is caused by differences in socioeconomic status. Students from wealthier families will probably have more access to technology. Additionally, students in rural areas may have less access to technology than students in urban areas and may have to travel farther in order to use a computer like at a public library. As a teacher, I may teach a class where students have differing levels of access to technology at home. I will adjust my teaching strategy to make sure that students are given in-class time to complete online assignments. Additionally, the students may be more likely to have smartphones, so if they do I can assign apps for them to use.
          I think it is important for students to learn through academic software in school because the skills they develop will help them throughout their education and in their careers. I would definitely implement MS Word and teach students how to use it. MS Word allows students to format text. It is crucial for them to learn how to use it because they may be required to use it to write assignments for courses and to write documents in their future jobs. I would also like to teach some general Photoshop skills. Photoshop is an image editing software. Using Photoshop would allow students to develop valuable graphic design skills while being able to get creative.

Blog Journal 3: February 7, 2019

          I think the ELA technology standard I would feel most comfortable teaching right now would be LAFS.4.RI.3.7. In this standard, students must "interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively." I am familiar with this standard because I presented it to the class and researched different resources that teach this standard. Also, I feel like I personally interpret and analyze media frequently for my courses, so I feel equipped to teach someone else. Additionally, I think I could teach LAFS.4.RL.3.7, the standard in which students compare a written work to a presentation of the same work. To teach this standard, I would have students get in groups to create videos of a scene from a story we read in class. Then, I would have students watch each other's videos and analyze how they compared to the original written work. However, I would need to prepare more to teach the LAFS.K.W.2.6 standard. While the standards I feel comfortable teaching are for fourth grade, this standard is for kindergarten. Students must use technology to publish writing. I am not as good with handling groups of small children, and I would be unsure of what level of technology and writing would be appropriate for them. I would also struggle teaching LAFS.910.RH.3.7. In this standard, ninth and tenth graders must "integrate quantitative and qualitative analyses" and use programs such as Excel. I am not proficient in Excel or making spreadsheets online, so I would have to become better at this before teaching it.
          A resource from CPALMS that teaches the LAFS.4.RI.3.7 standard is an audio interview about net fishing in Florida. Students listen to the audio recording and then complete a Sound Recording Analysis Sheet. On the worksheet, students pick out the important ideas of the interview and describe the content. I would use it in my classroom because I think it is important for students to practice their listening skills and think critically about what they hear. I also think the topic of the interview is interesting because it is not something students usually learn about in class, and it is relevant to Florida.
         The Newsletter Design taught me many new skills in Word that I will carry with me throughout my education and into my career. I learned how to create page breaks in order to switch from one column to two and back again. I also learned how to include an email link and shade text boxes. I think the content of my articles is strong, but the design did not turn out as professionally as I would have liked it. The formatting frustrated me because I could not get the graphics and text boxes to line up evenly. Next time, I will definitely give myself more time to complete the assignment. I underestimated how long it would take me, and I ended up rushing to turn it in. In my career, I can use the skills I learned from this assignment to add email links to documents and use URL shorteners to get rid of very long links. I can create a header for any flyers or office documents I create.

  

Blog Journal 2: January 29, 2019

          Throughout my education, MS Word has been the software that I use most often and that is most important to me. I remember learning how to use Word for the first time when I was in third grade. Since then, I have typed numerous essays, research papers, and pages of notes on Word. I use it almost every day. I've seen my teachers use Word to type up hand-outs, quizzes, and syllabi. Some of my teachers in high school had Word documents projected on the board to show us how to use correct formatting.
          My teachers have always stressed the importance of citing sources properly in papers. However, I've seldom learned about copyright and fair use as it pertains to media, like when to give credit to images used for projects. As a teacher, I would stress that credit needs to be given to the creators of all types of intellectual property, not just sources for papers. I would show students exactly how give proper credit, and how to find media in the public domain. I would encourage students to "put themselves in the other person's shoes" and think about how they would feel if someone else used their creations without giving them credit. Additionally, I would encourage students to create their own works through assignments that allow them to get creative, like with a poster that they have to design themselves.
          In order to ensure that students retain academic integrity, I would work to limit situations that tempt students to plagiarize or cheat. For example, I would stress to students how important it is to start assignments early so that they don't have to plagiarize the night before in order to turn something in. For big assignments, I would make numerous deadlines for different steps so that students do not do it all at the last minute. To help students keep their privacy online, I would encourage them to be careful what information they post online. I would show them examples of how random people can find out so much about you from what you post, like how on Instagram your photos reveal your location when your photo map is on. To alleviate the digital divide, I would make sure that any assignments I give would be accessible to students without access to computers or printers at home. For example, I would give in-class time in the computer lab or create assignments that can be completed on a phone.

Blog Journal 1: January 22, 2019

          I think teachers and students are influenced to use technology in the classroom by the growing presence of technology in our daily lives. As new technologies, like smartphones and VR, are being developed and making their ways into the homes of students and teachers, it makes sense to incorporate them into the classroom. Additionally, the advantages of using technology in school like its efficiency prompt teachers and students to use it. For example, throughout my education I have seen teachers shift from using chalkboards to projectors and PowerPoints.

          I felt that the ISTE standards are good goals for students to strive for during their education. I think the standard of Digital Citizen is especially important today. Students need to be aware that whatever they post on the Internet can be permanent, and future employers or schools that they apply to will view their social media accounts. For me, I think I am lacking in the Computational Thinker standard.    I have made data into graphs and charts before, but I do not think I have ever used automation. I do not know how to code either, but it is definitely a skill I want to learn someday.

          I agree with the definition of digital native to describe the younger generation generally, but I do not think it accurately describes every single young person today. Not everyone may have had access to technology in their home or school environments. Also, some young people may just not have an interest in technology. Digital natives are those who grew up with computers. I have noticed that sometimes the students in my classes know more about technology than the teachers, and the students help them with tasks like setting up the projector. I have also noticed that students seem to be more adept at using social media while teachers are better with programs like PowerPoint or Excel, and in these situations, we teach each other. In the future, I think my students may generally know more than me about technology and the newest social media, so I will have to stay up to date on my knowledge.

ISTE Standard - Knowledge Constructor  - Resource

          The website Mendeley is a great resource for students doing research and writing papers and can help them work towards the Knowledge Constructor standard. Mendeley allows students to manage their sources and create citations. When writing papers, sometimes students have so many different sources that they can become disorganized or have an overwhelming amount of tabs open. Mendeley helps with this issue and keeps all of your references in one place that you can access from any computer with your account.

Click here to sign up to Mendeley today! 

Blog Journal 0

The EME2040 Experience - Blog Journal 0

          My name is Tina. I am a college student studying History and Classics. I plan on attending law school after I graduate. In my free time, I enjoy reading, playing piano, and running. I like learning new things such as cooking and exploring with my friends.

          I am not an Education major or minor, so I have not taken any other courses in education technology. However, as a student I have used technology to give presentations to the class and share what I researched. I have used PowerPoints, short videos, online visuals, and audio clips to present information to my peers and help teach them. For one of my courses I created a podcast episode, and in another course my group and I filmed and edited a video.

          In this class, I hope to learn more about what goes into preparing lessons for K-12 students. Because I have never taken an education course before, I want to better understand the perspective of teachers and learn some of the methods for utilizing technology to share information. Even if I do not become a teacher, these skills can be useful in my college career and beyond. Learning the strategies teachers use in dealing with technology can help me more effectively present information in my classes and in my future work environments.