I created this blog for my ITD 645 class. You can find all of my weekly reflections and links to all the projects we have completed this semester on the blog page. The ISTE standards you can find by clicking on the links that state standards. The reflection will not restate all my weekly reflections, but they will give you a look into what we have accomplished over the summer. You will see in this reflection what I have learned, my strengths and weaknesses, and how as my future goals. What I learnedI have learned so much over this summer semester, and I have grown knowledgeable on many different technologies. The textbook we used this semester will help me in my future classes because it gives me a standard to integrate with my course. The book also taught me that there are so many different ways of teaching. I learned that we do not have to use just a textbook; instead, we can add different technologies to help enhance my students' learning abilities. With these tools, I can now create an atmosphere where my students will be more empowered in my classroom. Looking back on our course, every tool that we have used in our course will help me teach my students better and enhance the knowledge I can teach them. Looking back at our toolsThe first tool that I used in google docs. The tool allowed my classmates a way we could all work together as a group. We also used Zoom as a meeting place for us to discuss what we were going to do with our projects. Using these tools allowed for these projects to go smoothly, and we could work diligently together. The second tool that I learned to use as a podcast. The technology that I learned to use was Vocaroo. The tool was a free website that would allow you to record your lesson and upload them to your computer. I learned that this tool would become helpful in that I could use this tool in my class and allow my students to give a lecture on a specific topic. The third tool that I learned to use was video creating and editing. I did not know that there were so many helpful tools already on your computer to create videos. These tools are so handy because if we get shut down again, I can create lecture videos to allow my students to continue learning. I did learn that it is not easy to make or edit a video, but it is beneficial to use as a teacher. The fourth thing we learned to use was interactive tools. I had heard about interactive tools before this class, but I did not know how to use them properly. For this project, we created a Padlet and a Thinglink. I enjoyed these the most because I realized that I now had a way to engage my students throughout their notes. I learned that this could be an excellent way to upload different materials from the book. I loved how interactive they can be. I can use this type of tool to allow my students to put different information on our learning. My strength and weaknessesI will not sit here a lie; I did not come into this class with a vast knowledge of technology. I do know that I did gain strengths in this class. I now have strengths in creating video lessons. I also gained strength in creating blogs. I know that sounds strange, but before this class, blogs terrified me. So, now I know I can create a blog and use it to the best of my abilities. However, I still have weaknesses. I still find it challenging to use tools such as interactive videos. I find it hard to integrate questions throughout my video. I can not lie; I still find it challenging to use some technologies like video editing. I do not know why I can not edit easily. I have to keep trying to work on the tools and try to get better. Will I integrate?I do believe that I will integrate these technologies. The reason is that I think that this will be an excellent way to give my students a different way of learning materials. I also believe that it will give my students the chance to be hands-on learners. So my students who need to be hands-on with their materials will have a better chance at learning. I know I want to bring in blogging because it will allow my students to express their learning materials. My future GoalsAfter taking a class such as this, I want to continue to learn about technologies. I plan on taking more classes in the future to have a well-rounded mind for technology. I also want to continue this learning so I can help my students succeed in the future. I want to be the best teacher I can be, not to end my new technologies.
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Project ten years into the future. You have now been a classroom teacher for the past 7-8 years. Technology has probably changed significantly between the time you completed your student teaching and now. What options have you considered- and perhaps taken- to stay current in technology?As an educator, technologies are constantly changing; I need to ensure that I am always staying up to date with these new technologies. I believe that we must always be on top of the new technologies because we need to ensure our students get the best education possible. I first need to find a way to be informed of these technologies. I also need to find ways to learn how to use the technologies. The first thing I can ask is my colleagues. Then I can ask my tech team in my school what the new technologies are. I can learn to use them by enrolling in a course that is about technologies.
Throughout this semester, I have considered every so many year I need to look at a college and see what kind of technologies courses they have for teachers. I will also ask my school if there are courses to learn new technologies if there is any course. I also am considering attending seminars yearly on the topic of technology. I do not want to become one of the teachers that get stuck in the old technologies. I believe with this course; I better understand how quickly and how advanced technology will become. I must ensure that I am prepared for these changes throughout my teaching career. Assume that one of your students tells you that an enrichment class at your school has developed a website and that every students' name and picture will be available on the website as a talent directory. What concerns do you have about this discovery and how would you approach your colleague and your school to address these concerns?If I were a teacher that heard that a school website was being published with students' names and pictures, I would be highly worried. The reason is that if it is on the internet, the website would be public for everyone to see. As educators, we need to consider that not all people are like we are and should protect our students. The second problem I would have is about the parents who do not want their students' pictures being taken. There are many reasons for this concern. I had one student last year who came out of a bad home environment, so we could not even put the student's pictures in the yearbook. So as educators need to be aware of this happening.
I would approach my colleague at my school in a nonaggressive manner but rather one of concern. I would speak to the teacher about how the teacher would go about getting permission from parents. I would ask the teacher about how we would keep privacy for our students to ensure their safety. I would then maybe ask to sit down with the teacher about creating accounts like YouTube, where it is private, and only those allowed can see. I would then lend my help in ensuring that all websites are private. Group ProjectThe group project that we completed this week was a little more tricky than I imagined. I did not realize how much work it would take to compile all of our work over the semester. I love how our group came together and worked so well. I do not think I could have completed this assignment without them. Having to compile all of the work we have done throughout the semester was terrific to see. I did not realize we had completed so much work. I found myself feeling excited and proud of myself that I have completed. I have truly loved working with my group. I do not think I could have done any of these projects because they made the tasks manageable.
I see how using a website like Weebly could become very useful in my classroom. I believe that this will keep students involved and keep my parents actively involved in the classroom. I could utilize Weebly by making my students have a blog to upload all of their assignments. This website would be beneficial because all of the students' work will be in one location for their parents and me to see. So if a student is absent for any reason, they are still able to upload their materials to Weebly for their grades. Interactive Tools
This week for our group project, we decided to used Padlet for our interactive tool. I have to say that put the information and placing the information in order was easy to maneuver. I liked how we as teachers could put websites and our videos on the page. I think that would be a great resource to use for my future classes. I think that this technology will allow my students to be interactive with the course. They will also be able to stay on track when they are not in class. The only thing that I find difficult is taking the time to put the information on the website because when I have an off period, I am out of my classroom, but I believe that I can work around these issues.
I would love to use the interactive tools in my classroom. I believe that they are a great way to indicate how my students are performing. I can give them an interactive quiz near the end of class to gauge how my students are engaging and understanding the materials. Once I look at how they perform on the quiz, I will know if I can move forward with the materials or if I need to reteach the lesson.
Thinklinks: https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1469396184836603907 https://www.thinglink.com/scene/1469397745197383683
https://padlet.com/gregsanders1313/Bookmarks
Quiz and Rubric review
The first set of projects we had to do were individual work. I decided to stick with my PowerPoint video. I asked questions about the lumber industry and Ingalls Shipbuilding industry. Creating ten different questions on that PowerPoint was quite challenging. However, what I found most difficult was creating the rubric. It was hard to narrow down what you wanted to grade the students on and how you go about organizing the sections. Once I completed the rubric, however, I did notice how easy it could be created. I will use this website for my future classes because it will allow me to create their rubrics more efficiently. I also think I may use Quizz in the future for homework assignments when I work on them. I could also use this website as a way to give them exit slips before class lets out. The website will let me get information on who understood the materials and if I need to reteach the information. I also can utilize Quizz to make pop quizzes. I often do pop quizzes and allow them to use their notes to tell who is paying attention and taking notes with the rest of the class. I did this a lot last year because I knew that many of my students were not taking notes. Once they learned, I would give them a quiz they began to take notes to help them.
URL: joinmyquiz.com Code:2531 4374
Review of videos
So this week was individual projects we had to create a video. We had to edit the video and make the video interactive. I did find the process a little tricky. I learned that teaching a lesson in 3 minutes is more complex than I thought. I had to stay focused and on the topic the whole time. I did go over 3 minutes, but it was only a few seconds over. Editing the video was very complicated because I did not know what to cut and what to keep in my video. Creating the interactive part of the video was fun. I enjoyed creating the questions and seeing how it all came together. While I did find the projects tricky, I also learned that it was necessary to learn because if we have another shutdown of schools, these tools will come in handy. If we ever go through another shutdown, I can utilize these tools to ensure that my students can watch these videos to keep learning. I could also use these tools if I am ever absent. I could create a video and watch it to know they are working on busy work and having them continue their lessons.
https://edpuzzle.com/open/ridfevo Code: ridfevo
Reflecting on your experience with the following subjects, (language arts, mathematics, history, science, music) which ones do you think would be adaptable for distance education and which ones would not? Why? Would there be a difference in adaptability on grade level?I believe that all education is best when the learning is face-to-face. However, there are a few classes that are manageable by distance education. The first class I believe is possible is language arts. There are so many new websites that teachers can use for their distance learners to master the materials. For example, at Comer Middle School, we used the website Edgenuity for their courses, and the English portion was accommodating and easy to learn. The second class that I believe can be online is Mathematics. I am saying this class because we can use websites such as Khan Academy and Edgenuity. The two websites can allow you to watch the videos and follow the rules of math. While these two are possible, they will be very challenging.
History, Science, and Music would be three difficult classes to adapt to distance learning. Science requires you to be face-to-face on how to create and experiment properly. Music to me would be in the class you could not adapt. The reason why is that the teacher must sit in front of the students to ensure they are learning the music properly. I may be partial when it comes to history, but I do not believe it would be an easy class to adapt to distance learning. The reason why is because often, students can get confused with dates and the people involved. Also, history is a lot of discussions based, and if you are not in class to discuss, you can not learn properly. Yes, I believe that there would be differences in grade levels. For example, students in middle school need constant support and cannot handle the pressure of being self-motivated. High schoolers, on the other hand, are self-motivated because they see the results. They know if they can motivate themselves, then they can enter college and succeed. I also believe that high schoolers would be more mature in their classes and not get easily distracted. PodcastThe individual project was the podcast that we had to create. The lesson I choose to talk about was the ending of segregation in Mississippi. I was not going to lie, making the podcast challenge, but after completing the assignment, I learned it was worth trying to adapt to my classroom. I found uploading the podcast to be very difficult. I think it took me four different times to make the podcast before I could finally upload it. I liked how my students will know a little of the information I will be teaching them in class that day. I would love to make more podcasts like this in my future classes. I think this would be a fun project for my future students. I would allow them to pick a related topic and create a podcast to teach the rest of the class. I think the project would be very successful because it would be different than standing in front of the classroom. I could also use this in my canvas courses that way, and if my students are not in class that day, they can log into Canvas and take notes from the PowerPoint and my podcast. I truly loved this project because I can see myself using this technology in my future classes.
My Learning experience
In this week's project, we had to create a survey and materials to go along with a lesson plan. My job in the group was to create a survey—my questions as the technology experience in the classroom setting. The survey taught me how difficult it was to think of questions that are pertinent to the materials. The project taught me that you must adapt lesson plans and materials to change to technology to be a successful educator. Giving my students a survey on the technology they know will give me an upper hand in my classroom. The reason is I will know what they are comfortable using, and I can adapt all of my projects and lesson plans to their comfort. I can also use the material to grow my students better. I could get them out of their comfort zone and teach them new technologies. A survey will be the best indicator for this type of job. My group was amazing to work with, which made the project easy to navigate and work through. Our zoom meetings are so productive and are valuable to the week's assignments. I do not think I could have done this project by myself. I ask my fellow group members for help, and they were there every time.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1TO7G5ANQGnztDOWW6bJOfwNBC_1oYXnv2-wkZbmGYGI/edit#responses
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Marlee OrrelsI am a history nerd, and a lover of adventures. You can always find me going on some kind of crazy adventures with my friends and family. |