Thursday, May 3, 2007
Blog #15
Education 422 has been a very valuable class for me. When I first walked into this classroom, I could hardly do anything using technology. I have learned a tremendous amount of things I never knew before. I first would like to say that the video project has been the most fun to do! There are so many things that we learned that I will look forward to using in my classroom. I think the filamentality project would be a lot of fun for the students to do. As a teacher, it is so important to make things fun for the students. Inspiration was really challenging, but I think it is a great way for students to organize their thoughts before beginning a big project. I can definitely see grades fourth on up using this program. I had never worked with excel or databases before, however, I am the type of person who likes to keep things organized, so, I can see myself using these programs to keep data for my students. Powerpoint and rubrics (Need I say more….). Both of these things are very valuable tools for teachers. Powerpoint is a great way to add a visual perspective to any lesson plan. Rubrics are necessary for grading purposes. Okay…Blogs. I’m not making a promise, but, I will probably not be using Blogs in my classroom. For one thing, they are very time consuming, and not everybody has a computer at home! That’s enough about that. I can’t think of anything about this class that needs improvement. I learned so much and I have Erika to thank for that. Erika was a great professor. I liked the way she explained everything in class before we actually had to do it. Anyway, I wish all of you the best of luck in your teaching careers. I’m sure all of you will be wonderful teachers! Yes—No More Blogs!!!
Blog #14
This project has been a lot of fun. It was really great to be able to work together as a team to create such a fun and educational lesson. I thought the planning of the lesson went really smoothly as ideas just poured out of us. The actual filming went pretty well. I can definitely say that I will never become an actor. It was hard to not feel silly while trying to remember my very short line. In the end, the most time consuming part of this project was the editing. I felt lucky to have a couple of people in my group that have edited movies before. The most difficult part of editing is getting the video to line up correctly with all of the transitions, music, and so on. However, in the end, I felt that our project turned out pretty awesome. As far as using this type of project in the classroom, I feel that students could gain a lot of knowledge about not only the subject they are working with, but also about technology itself. The more hands-on the assignment is, the more knowledge the students can gain. After this project was completed, I also started to think about how fun it would be to make a movie to show parents at open house what their children had been doing all year.
The article, Splicing Video into the Writing Process, correlates with the video project we did in this class. The article talks about the importance of preproduction and prewriting, which includes gathering information, concept mapping, consensus building, scripting, brainstorming, researching, and storyboarding. This is an important first step because it is the step that organizes the entire story that will be told. The next step to video production is production. This step includes planning, rehearsing, and filming. This step is important because this is the part the audience will see. It is very important to plan out the entire process, so it can run more smoothly as you begin to film. The third step to video production is postproduction. The postproduction portion covers rough digital editing, class feedback, more editing, adding additional audio, visuals, still, graphics, and publishing. Once postproduction is complete it is time to show your audience. The end of the article has an area called reflection in which teachers state how well video projects work in the classroom. The teachers stated how much the students like to work on a project like this and how beneficial it is to do in a classroom.
The article, Splicing Video into the Writing Process, correlates with the video project we did in this class. The article talks about the importance of preproduction and prewriting, which includes gathering information, concept mapping, consensus building, scripting, brainstorming, researching, and storyboarding. This is an important first step because it is the step that organizes the entire story that will be told. The next step to video production is production. This step includes planning, rehearsing, and filming. This step is important because this is the part the audience will see. It is very important to plan out the entire process, so it can run more smoothly as you begin to film. The third step to video production is postproduction. The postproduction portion covers rough digital editing, class feedback, more editing, adding additional audio, visuals, still, graphics, and publishing. Once postproduction is complete it is time to show your audience. The end of the article has an area called reflection in which teachers state how well video projects work in the classroom. The teachers stated how much the students like to work on a project like this and how beneficial it is to do in a classroom.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Blog #13
The first article, The World Wide Web: Interfaces, Databases, and Applications to Education gave a good explanation to what all of these terms mean and then gave examples of how this can be used by teachers and students alike. The fact that information that is plugged into one computer can be viewed by many over the internet is amazing. The article states that we are able to do this because of these three components: the database, the interface, and the Web form. The article goes on to explain what these components are use for and why they help teachers in the classroom. Some of the things that can be done in database form are: handling assignments on the web, filling out class evaluation forms, doing a web-based calendar, discussion groups, and research tools. All of these things would be valuable for both students and teachers.
The second article, Database: America’s President, is about a teacher, Beth Holmes, who teaches students how to organize information using a database on U.S. presidents. She uses what she calls the “Six C’s” to teach her students about organization of classroom assignments and information. The “Six C’s” are compute, communicate, conclude, confirm, categorize, and classify. These skills involve problem solving, and information management. By using all of these skills Beth Holmes believes students will be able to create a successful database. The example database she used about the U.S. Presidents was a lot like the one we did in class. Basically, she defined her fields and then entered her information. I can definitely see how organizing data into one place can be very beneficial to our students.
The third article, Bells and Whistles: Organizing Data for Whole-Class Use, was about how databases can be used by students in the classroom. Every subject imaginable can be used in a database system, including math, history, science, etc. The article includes information on why databases are useful, how to organize data in a database, and how to create and use databases in the classroom. Databases are a useful tool because they require students to use critical-thinking skills, such as categorizing, comparing, and contrasting. Organizing data in a database is quite easy because the student can easily define a field as text, number, date, or time. Fields can be defined as a popup menu, a value list, or a check box. Basically, by assigning a field with one of these options, the students will be able to have a multiple-choice type option to choose from. Creating and using databases in the classroom helps students learn how to organize their data in a much more efficient way. If students follow all of these guidelines, they will have creating an effective database.
The use of databases in education can be a valuable tool for teachers. I, for one, never thought of entering student information into a database system. I guess I’m kind of old school as far as grade keeping. The only thing teachers had “back then” was the good ole’ grade book. After completing the database assignment in class, I realized how beneficial something like this would be to use in the classroom. If definitely seems a lot easier for many reasons. First of all, when it comes to keeping track of student information, it seems a lot less time consuming to be able to click a couple of buttons on a computer over sifting through tons of scattered paper work. Also, looking for specific information about students as a whole seems to be a lot easier if all of the information is in one database. The assignment we did in class was a great example of how easy it was to find specific information about our students. I also liked how easy it was to create the fields. Databases could also be geared toward student use. I liked how we could use symbols to represent the students. I think our students would have fun making their own database of information. The only thing that scares me about using an electronic database is when things go wrong with computers. One way to make sure you don’t lose all of your information is to continuously save things to a flash drive, for example.
The second article, Database: America’s President, is about a teacher, Beth Holmes, who teaches students how to organize information using a database on U.S. presidents. She uses what she calls the “Six C’s” to teach her students about organization of classroom assignments and information. The “Six C’s” are compute, communicate, conclude, confirm, categorize, and classify. These skills involve problem solving, and information management. By using all of these skills Beth Holmes believes students will be able to create a successful database. The example database she used about the U.S. Presidents was a lot like the one we did in class. Basically, she defined her fields and then entered her information. I can definitely see how organizing data into one place can be very beneficial to our students.
The third article, Bells and Whistles: Organizing Data for Whole-Class Use, was about how databases can be used by students in the classroom. Every subject imaginable can be used in a database system, including math, history, science, etc. The article includes information on why databases are useful, how to organize data in a database, and how to create and use databases in the classroom. Databases are a useful tool because they require students to use critical-thinking skills, such as categorizing, comparing, and contrasting. Organizing data in a database is quite easy because the student can easily define a field as text, number, date, or time. Fields can be defined as a popup menu, a value list, or a check box. Basically, by assigning a field with one of these options, the students will be able to have a multiple-choice type option to choose from. Creating and using databases in the classroom helps students learn how to organize their data in a much more efficient way. If students follow all of these guidelines, they will have creating an effective database.
The use of databases in education can be a valuable tool for teachers. I, for one, never thought of entering student information into a database system. I guess I’m kind of old school as far as grade keeping. The only thing teachers had “back then” was the good ole’ grade book. After completing the database assignment in class, I realized how beneficial something like this would be to use in the classroom. If definitely seems a lot easier for many reasons. First of all, when it comes to keeping track of student information, it seems a lot less time consuming to be able to click a couple of buttons on a computer over sifting through tons of scattered paper work. Also, looking for specific information about students as a whole seems to be a lot easier if all of the information is in one database. The assignment we did in class was a great example of how easy it was to find specific information about our students. I also liked how easy it was to create the fields. Databases could also be geared toward student use. I liked how we could use symbols to represent the students. I think our students would have fun making their own database of information. The only thing that scares me about using an electronic database is when things go wrong with computers. One way to make sure you don’t lose all of your information is to continuously save things to a flash drive, for example.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
Blog #11
Hi Class!
I thought the article about Bridging the Digital Divide was interesting for the fact that it not only placed blame on the access to computers on the teacher, but also on the economic status of the classroom. The article stated that it is most beneficial to have computers in the classroom versus having students go to a computer lab. This idea makes a lot of sense, but unfortunately, many schools do not have the budget to do this as the article point out. The other point I got from the article is that access to monitored technology is also very important. In other words, it’s not only important for students to have access to technology, but it is also important to make sure they have are able to use the computer with guided assistance. Teachers need to be educated with technology, so they can teach their students how to use the technology in the best way possible.
The WIKI assignment we learned how to do this week seems pretty cool. I have to admit, I feel a little confused when trying to manipulate through the site. However, I know with a little bit of practice, I will be able to manipulate through this site in no time. I think the WIKI website is a great website to use when you need to collaborate with others. It is a lot less time consuming to go to one site to offer information about a topic or to use a discussion board for communication. I can see how this website would be useful for teachers. I also like the idea of being able to add links to other valuable websites on this one website.
I thought the article about Bridging the Digital Divide was interesting for the fact that it not only placed blame on the access to computers on the teacher, but also on the economic status of the classroom. The article stated that it is most beneficial to have computers in the classroom versus having students go to a computer lab. This idea makes a lot of sense, but unfortunately, many schools do not have the budget to do this as the article point out. The other point I got from the article is that access to monitored technology is also very important. In other words, it’s not only important for students to have access to technology, but it is also important to make sure they have are able to use the computer with guided assistance. Teachers need to be educated with technology, so they can teach their students how to use the technology in the best way possible.
The WIKI assignment we learned how to do this week seems pretty cool. I have to admit, I feel a little confused when trying to manipulate through the site. However, I know with a little bit of practice, I will be able to manipulate through this site in no time. I think the WIKI website is a great website to use when you need to collaborate with others. It is a lot less time consuming to go to one site to offer information about a topic or to use a discussion board for communication. I can see how this website would be useful for teachers. I also like the idea of being able to add links to other valuable websites on this one website.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Blog #9 The Midterm
Hello Class!
I thought my midterm went pretty well. I was pretty nervous about trying to remember how to do everything on a MAC. Once my nerves settled, I was able to concentrate on what needed to be done. I didn’t think the exam was too hard. But, for the life of me I couldn’t remember all of the extensions. I guess it becomes too easy to just name your document and hit enter without having to include the extension yourself. One of the hardest parts of the exam was trying to remember the command for the screen shot. Some how I was able to push the right thing to take the picture, but, I don’t know if I placed it onto the midterm sheet in the correct way. Oh, well! I tried as hard as I could. The easiest part of the exam was typing in my name-Just Kidding. I thought the easiest section was actually creating the Inspiration. It was nice to have the information presented to us that needed to be included on the midterm rather trying to come up with the assignment on our own. I hope everyone did well!!!
I thought my midterm went pretty well. I was pretty nervous about trying to remember how to do everything on a MAC. Once my nerves settled, I was able to concentrate on what needed to be done. I didn’t think the exam was too hard. But, for the life of me I couldn’t remember all of the extensions. I guess it becomes too easy to just name your document and hit enter without having to include the extension yourself. One of the hardest parts of the exam was trying to remember the command for the screen shot. Some how I was able to push the right thing to take the picture, but, I don’t know if I placed it onto the midterm sheet in the correct way. Oh, well! I tried as hard as I could. The easiest part of the exam was typing in my name-Just Kidding. I thought the easiest section was actually creating the Inspiration. It was nice to have the information presented to us that needed to be included on the midterm rather trying to come up with the assignment on our own. I hope everyone did well!!!
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Blog #8
Hi Class!
I thought the readings about webquest were very informative. Webquest is designed to help students use the internet to gain a better understanding and knowledge about a particular subject. The articles focused on how to search the internet to find the absolute best information out there possible. It talked about how to use search engines, what kind of information to look for and what relevance this information has to the students in the classroom. If a student uses webquest, they would be more likely to comprehend the material by using problem-solving and decision-making skills. This is important for students to know how to do because this will help them comprehend the material more effectively. The article also describes the elements of a good web quest which are: an introduction, a task, a process, resources, an evaluation, and a conclusion. If a teacher follows these guidelines they will have created an effective webquest for their students.
I learned a great deal this week. First and foremost, I learned how to create an assignment that would help my students have a better understanding about whatever subject they are learning about. This assignment is based on webquests, called Filamentality. I learned that Filamentality is a great way to structure an assignment for a class and this can be done for students that range from Kindergarten on up. I had never heard of this before, but I can picture using this is my classroom. Kids love using the computer and the internet. Any way I can get my students to open up their minds while having fun, I am more than willing to do. Creating an assignment based on the Filamentality would be a great way to motivate students to want to learn, and the best thing about it is the fact that the type of learning they do when using Filamentality would help them comprehend the material.
I thought the readings about webquest were very informative. Webquest is designed to help students use the internet to gain a better understanding and knowledge about a particular subject. The articles focused on how to search the internet to find the absolute best information out there possible. It talked about how to use search engines, what kind of information to look for and what relevance this information has to the students in the classroom. If a student uses webquest, they would be more likely to comprehend the material by using problem-solving and decision-making skills. This is important for students to know how to do because this will help them comprehend the material more effectively. The article also describes the elements of a good web quest which are: an introduction, a task, a process, resources, an evaluation, and a conclusion. If a teacher follows these guidelines they will have created an effective webquest for their students.
I learned a great deal this week. First and foremost, I learned how to create an assignment that would help my students have a better understanding about whatever subject they are learning about. This assignment is based on webquests, called Filamentality. I learned that Filamentality is a great way to structure an assignment for a class and this can be done for students that range from Kindergarten on up. I had never heard of this before, but I can picture using this is my classroom. Kids love using the computer and the internet. Any way I can get my students to open up their minds while having fun, I am more than willing to do. Creating an assignment based on the Filamentality would be a great way to motivate students to want to learn, and the best thing about it is the fact that the type of learning they do when using Filamentality would help them comprehend the material.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Blog #7
I found the website, Teaching Students to Use the Internet as a Research Tool, to be a valuable resource for students who want to learn how to conduct proper research from the internet. There are so many sources on the internet that are not credible. It is important for teachers and students alike to know what sources are considered credible and what sources we should stay away from. One way to search a topic, we actually learned to do from this class and that is the advanced search option from google. I have found that the area that asks for domain is a good place to specify what type of website the student is looking for, such as, .edu or .gov. By typing in these keywords the search engine will only take you to these sights. Also, I recently visited the Kellogg library with one of my classes and the librarian taught us how to conduct research from the internet. Basically, if you go to the library link from our CSUSM website it has many links to good resources and you can even email the librarians to ask them for help. Once again, I thought this website gave good information on how to locate and evaluate resources from the internet.
Now, about that excel quiz… I will admit that I had to take it several times in order to get a somewhat passing grade. As you can see, I have had no experience using excel other than studying it to pass the CCR test. I found the tutorial to be a little confusing in the section about the formulas. I thought it was easier when we were hands-on and did the spreadsheet in class. However, after completing the Excel assignment we had to do for this class, I definitely plan on using Excel in the future. I thought it was so convenient and easy to be able to figure out student grades.
Now, about that excel quiz… I will admit that I had to take it several times in order to get a somewhat passing grade. As you can see, I have had no experience using excel other than studying it to pass the CCR test. I found the tutorial to be a little confusing in the section about the formulas. I thought it was easier when we were hands-on and did the spreadsheet in class. However, after completing the Excel assignment we had to do for this class, I definitely plan on using Excel in the future. I thought it was so convenient and easy to be able to figure out student grades.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Blog #6
Hi Class!
This is a great website that helps consumers evaluate products or websites they are going to use before they use them. I liked this website for the fact that it looked at all aspects of the product at hand. It discussed the product’s accuracy, appropriateness, and the scope. It also looked at the technical aspects of the product, which included navigation, save/record-keeping features, and quality. It also stated whether or not the price of the product, if it was a product, was reasonable or not. The links offered in the website are also valuable resources for people who want to learn more about technology. One website I liked in particular was the Children’s Software Evaluation Instrument website. This website included information about ratings of particular software as well as a checklist for quality.
This website and the links to the other websites are a great resource for teachers. I, myself, don’t know exactly what to look for when purchasing certain things or when visiting certain websites. The fact is, quality and accuracy, is much more important than the quantity of a website or service that is offered. Our students are very valuable and this is why I think it’s important to take the time to evaluate things before we use them in our classroom. The more teachers who know about websites like these the more students we will have that can benefit from them. When I become a teacher I can use this website as a tool to learn more about products and I will be able to evaluate their effectiveness for use in my own classroom.
This is a great website that helps consumers evaluate products or websites they are going to use before they use them. I liked this website for the fact that it looked at all aspects of the product at hand. It discussed the product’s accuracy, appropriateness, and the scope. It also looked at the technical aspects of the product, which included navigation, save/record-keeping features, and quality. It also stated whether or not the price of the product, if it was a product, was reasonable or not. The links offered in the website are also valuable resources for people who want to learn more about technology. One website I liked in particular was the Children’s Software Evaluation Instrument website. This website included information about ratings of particular software as well as a checklist for quality.
This website and the links to the other websites are a great resource for teachers. I, myself, don’t know exactly what to look for when purchasing certain things or when visiting certain websites. The fact is, quality and accuracy, is much more important than the quantity of a website or service that is offered. Our students are very valuable and this is why I think it’s important to take the time to evaluate things before we use them in our classroom. The more teachers who know about websites like these the more students we will have that can benefit from them. When I become a teacher I can use this website as a tool to learn more about products and I will be able to evaluate their effectiveness for use in my own classroom.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Blog #5
Hi Class!
Using powerpoint in the classroom can have a great impact on students and teachers alike. The impact powerpoint can make on teachers in the classroom is amazing. Powerpoint allows teachers to not only become organized while teaching a specific lesson, but it can also help engage the students in the lesson they are learning. If you’ve been in the classroom this part is very important! A great example of the power of powerpoint in the classroom actually came from a chemistry class I was taking here at Cal State San Marcos. I am definitely not a chemistry whiz, but the professor used powerpoint in a very effective way for every lecture. The powerpoint helped me organize my own notes so I could actually understand them and I was able to get an A (wow!) in chemistry. The students that we will be teaching in today’s classroom are very familiar with technology (at least most of them), so the use of powerpoint is something they would probably find very engaging. Pointpoint can be visually stimulating and can help those students who learn this way. Although I have never thought about using powerpoint in my own classroom (because I will be teaching first or second grade), I will probably reconsider using it. The part of Erika’s pointpoint about powerpoint, where she talks about using graphics made me start to think about how the powerpoint itself along with the use of age-appropriate graphics could help students even as young as 6-7 years old. So, powerpoint has the ability to not only improve my teaching but also my student’s learning.
Bloom's theory about developing higher levels of thought processes to everyday classroom reading makes a lot of sense. In Bloom’s theory he says that it is important for students to be able to obtain knowledge and comprehension, and to be able to apply this by evaluation, analysis, and synthesis. These are important concepts because it’s one thing to know and remember things about what you’ve learned but it a completely different thing to be able to comprehend what you learning and why it is important. So, an important part of teaching is knowing how to be well-rounded in all of these necessary areas of learning. One way we can do this is to ask the right questions to our students. I liked the examples of questions that were given about Goldilocks in Bloom’s theory. If our students are able to answer all of them we will know that they don’t just know the facts but the meaning behind all of them!
Using powerpoint in the classroom can have a great impact on students and teachers alike. The impact powerpoint can make on teachers in the classroom is amazing. Powerpoint allows teachers to not only become organized while teaching a specific lesson, but it can also help engage the students in the lesson they are learning. If you’ve been in the classroom this part is very important! A great example of the power of powerpoint in the classroom actually came from a chemistry class I was taking here at Cal State San Marcos. I am definitely not a chemistry whiz, but the professor used powerpoint in a very effective way for every lecture. The powerpoint helped me organize my own notes so I could actually understand them and I was able to get an A (wow!) in chemistry. The students that we will be teaching in today’s classroom are very familiar with technology (at least most of them), so the use of powerpoint is something they would probably find very engaging. Pointpoint can be visually stimulating and can help those students who learn this way. Although I have never thought about using powerpoint in my own classroom (because I will be teaching first or second grade), I will probably reconsider using it. The part of Erika’s pointpoint about powerpoint, where she talks about using graphics made me start to think about how the powerpoint itself along with the use of age-appropriate graphics could help students even as young as 6-7 years old. So, powerpoint has the ability to not only improve my teaching but also my student’s learning.
Bloom's theory about developing higher levels of thought processes to everyday classroom reading makes a lot of sense. In Bloom’s theory he says that it is important for students to be able to obtain knowledge and comprehension, and to be able to apply this by evaluation, analysis, and synthesis. These are important concepts because it’s one thing to know and remember things about what you’ve learned but it a completely different thing to be able to comprehend what you learning and why it is important. So, an important part of teaching is knowing how to be well-rounded in all of these necessary areas of learning. One way we can do this is to ask the right questions to our students. I liked the examples of questions that were given about Goldilocks in Bloom’s theory. If our students are able to answer all of them we will know that they don’t just know the facts but the meaning behind all of them!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Oh, the Changes We've Seen in Technology
Hi Class! The article we read, Oh, the Changes We’ve Seen, was about how technology has affected the way students learn and teachers teach. As we’ve seen in this class so far, and from all of the articles we’ve read I can definitely see this to be true. Technology has an amazing way of getting students interested in the learning process. The article stated that, “Technology was not a fad, but a tool providing possibilities that we could only imagine 30 years ago.” (p. 7) I find it amazing that 30 years ago my parents would never have been able to introduce me to technology the way I have been able to introduce my own children at the same age I was back then. Kids today have such a big advantage having technology in their lives. The article states that students are able to take on many roles by using technology, which include; Learner of facts, programmer, problem solver, editor, designer, collaborator, adventurer, sense maker, and much more. Given all of these roles, anybody can see that technology is and should be a big part of the school experience. The real-world story that was mentioned on p. 16, talked about how when students can relate and start to care about what they are learning, they are a lot more motivated in their learning process. I can really relate to this statement. In my previous blog I talked about how my daughter was studying whales in her third grade class and it wasn’t until they constructed the body parts of the whale on the computer that all of the information they were learning about whales was able to sink in. They really took the time to construct their whales on the computer and because of this they really began to care about how the project looked. Once they finally printed the project, they all gleamed with such pride.
I learned a lot this week from the assignment we had which was constructing a newsletter. I never knew that Microsoft Word had so many of the awesome tools that it has, including making the header and using a drop cap. I always thought I had to use a program like Printmaster to create a piece like the one we did for the newsletter. I think the newsletter is a great idea for teachers to do. As a parent, I like to know what is going on in my child’s classroom as well as being reminded about things that are coming up. I don’t know about you, but the newsletter took me a while to construct. So, I was thinking that once I have created the first newsletter for my class, I could save it on the computer then each month it would be easy to go back to it and make the necessary changes for the new month. My final thought on the newsletter is that is looks very professional and being that we are going to be teacher’s, professional is the way to go!
I learned a lot this week from the assignment we had which was constructing a newsletter. I never knew that Microsoft Word had so many of the awesome tools that it has, including making the header and using a drop cap. I always thought I had to use a program like Printmaster to create a piece like the one we did for the newsletter. I think the newsletter is a great idea for teachers to do. As a parent, I like to know what is going on in my child’s classroom as well as being reminded about things that are coming up. I don’t know about you, but the newsletter took me a while to construct. So, I was thinking that once I have created the first newsletter for my class, I could save it on the computer then each month it would be easy to go back to it and make the necessary changes for the new month. My final thought on the newsletter is that is looks very professional and being that we are going to be teacher’s, professional is the way to go!
Saturday, February 3, 2007
Technology and Tools
Hi Class! I thought the tools we learned about this week in class will definitely be useful to us as we enter the classroom. First of all, I think its great how Yahoo offers an account to anyone out there for free. Like Erika said in class, teachers need free tools like Yahoo so we don't have to spend even more money out of our own pocket. I also liked the idea of using ListServe to get more information about practically anything we want out there. I think it's awesome that all we need to do to get free lesson plans is to sign up with a group. How easy is that? I will definitely be taking advantage of ListServe. Another tool we learned about this week was the Bookmark area of our Yahoo Account. I honestly did not know the difference between Bookmarks and Favorites. I think Bookmarks would be very useful for us and for our students to use, especially if we are writing an essay about a certain subject. The Bookmarks can allow us to write comments about each website, that way, when we go back to them for reference we can easily see which site has the information we need on it. The Bookmarks tool will definitely be a time saver!
The reading, Teaching for Understanding, pointed out how in order to truly understand what we are learning we need to be asked to truly think about the things we are trying to learn about. The article stated that we need to learn from experience and in order to see that our students truly understand what they are learning they need to be able to show us. I can totally see this to be true. It’s one thing to say that we understand, but it’s another thing to prove it. One way to have our students prove to us that they have learned and understood an assignment is to use technology that will show us their outcomes in a timely manner. Teaching for Understanding also states that technology has the ability to improve student achievement and one way it does this is by being able to adapt to different leaning styles that preside in the classroom. In my daughter’s third grade classroom I saw this to be true. They were doing a unit on whales and it wasn’t until the students were able to use the computer to see a visual picture about what they learning about in order for the information to sink in. Metacognition is another issue that Teaching for Understanding talked about. Basically, metacognition is knowing what you know any why you know it. If we can get our students to control what they are thinking they will be able to concentrate and understand more about what they are learning.
All of the tools we learned this week can make learning more fun and a lot easier!
The reading, Teaching for Understanding, pointed out how in order to truly understand what we are learning we need to be asked to truly think about the things we are trying to learn about. The article stated that we need to learn from experience and in order to see that our students truly understand what they are learning they need to be able to show us. I can totally see this to be true. It’s one thing to say that we understand, but it’s another thing to prove it. One way to have our students prove to us that they have learned and understood an assignment is to use technology that will show us their outcomes in a timely manner. Teaching for Understanding also states that technology has the ability to improve student achievement and one way it does this is by being able to adapt to different leaning styles that preside in the classroom. In my daughter’s third grade classroom I saw this to be true. They were doing a unit on whales and it wasn’t until the students were able to use the computer to see a visual picture about what they learning about in order for the information to sink in. Metacognition is another issue that Teaching for Understanding talked about. Basically, metacognition is knowing what you know any why you know it. If we can get our students to control what they are thinking they will be able to concentrate and understand more about what they are learning.
All of the tools we learned this week can make learning more fun and a lot easier!
Sunday, January 28, 2007
EDUC 422 Blog #1 A little about me
Hi Class!In my first blog, ever, I will be letting you know a little bit about me. First of all, I am not very good at technology. To give you example, it took me about two hours to remember my username and figure out how to get to this point in my blog. Pretty sad, I know. I can definitely see how technology plays an important role in learning. When I really think about the concept of technology in the classroom, I think about all of the benefits it has. When our student's enter the working world they will be faced with technology everywhere. It doesn't matter what type of profession they will go into. This is why it is important that they get used to using technology early on. I mentioned earlier that I am not computer savvy. Well, I need to point out that my 5-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter are better at technology than I am. They are not only pre-gamers with their Nintendo DS game system, but they are also able to manipulate the internet to find games on the web. This has definately helped them in the classrooms at their school. My children attend the computer lab at their school at least once a week. The last time I volunteered in my son's Kindergarten class I was able to witness twenty computer geniuses. All of the student's new how to log onto their personal page and complete an assignment as instructed. The greatest part about the entire assignment was to see how excited they were once they printed it.
The most significant thing I learned this week is that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get through school. Its been a little overwhelming tring to get back into the swing of things with school starting up. I am currently taking five classes at CSUSM. I will have four classes to take next semester and I will graduate. Yeah! So, no matter how much time I will need to spend doing homework, and no matter how frustrated I get, I want to say here and now that it will we worth it in the end!
Well, I've now completed my first blog and I will look forward to seeing what the rest of my class will have to say.
Out!
Tiffany
The most significant thing I learned this week is that it takes a lot of hard work and dedication to get through school. Its been a little overwhelming tring to get back into the swing of things with school starting up. I am currently taking five classes at CSUSM. I will have four classes to take next semester and I will graduate. Yeah! So, no matter how much time I will need to spend doing homework, and no matter how frustrated I get, I want to say here and now that it will we worth it in the end!
Well, I've now completed my first blog and I will look forward to seeing what the rest of my class will have to say.
Out!
Tiffany
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