My Beliefs

              I think utilizing technology is vitally important in the classroom. Technology is going to continue to grow and become a bigger and bigger part of people’s lives and it is our job, as educators, to help future generations be prepared to make contributions in the world. They won’t be able to do that if they aren’t comfortable with the devices and programs in the technology world. I think teachers need to be continually trained in new programs that they can implement in the classroom. Technology is just as important there as it is in major companies around the world.

                However, this assignment also made me realize that the schools that have access to the more advanced technology will have a huge advantage over other schools that can’t afford or don’t have that same level of technology. It made me wonder if this technology age will create a larger gap between communities with less money and wealthier communities. I think we, as a society, have to prepare for a very different world and allow every student an opportunity to become knowledgeable about technology and its uses.

                Technology isn’t going anywhere but up and in some cases the classroom will be the only place a student has access to it. I think it’s very important that we allow students to explore the world of technology and that they have a way of applying its uses to their own lives and future endeavors. It’s amazing what people have been able to do is just that last decade. Future students will be able to take it even farther if they are able to gain the right education.

Lessons Learned

                I learned a lot from the readings, videos and websites for this assignment. I always thought of myself as a fairly tech savvy person, but it’s amazing what some of the younger people came up with.  It was interesting to learn how new technology will affect education in the future. It will change the way classes are taught and how students gain information. It may even influence the way schools take attendance, give out hall passes, and cafeteria organization. It may even allow announcements to be more personal and target each child individually.

                The readings also brought my attention to future grammar and writing problems I might encounter as a teacher. With the popularity of texting and IM-ing it is likely that this will affect writing in an education setting as well. I guess I never really thought about that but thinking back I’ve seen it in my own writing. It’s hard to transfer from “texting language” to a more academic language.

                I also thought it was interesting to learn about how technology may allow teachers to apply a higher level of learning in their classroom. They don’t have to worry so much about memorization because information is quickly and readily available for the students. However, there also may be a problem because life is becoming more and more about instant gratification. This can be good and bad. It will require teachers to shift their teaching methods to meet the needs of a generation based on technology.

Strengths and Weaknesses

              I think one area of weakness I have is NET Standard IV: A, “apply technology in assessing student learning of subject matter using a variety of assessment techniques.” Utilizing technology as an assessment resource is something that I would like to work on. I feel that there are a lot of opportunities for me as a future educator but I need to be comfortable enough to actually use it in my classroom. I’ve said before that I want my classroom to be a place where students enjoy learning and I think allowing them to use different forms of assessment will create such an environment. I found a short professional development course in UEN on creating educational games. I think this would help me discover new ways to assess my students by incorporating technology into the test.

                Another area of weakness is continuing to take classes on technology after I receive my degree. This is NET Standard V: A, “use technology resources to engage in ongoing professional development and lifelong learning.” I really want to continue learn about new programs and ways to utilize technology in my classroom and I hope that I can do that even after I start my career as a teacher. I found quite a few tutorials on UEN that will help me understand different resources. I also know that a lot of community colleges have short classes on computer programs that could enhance my understanding. My goal is to take courses or allow time to research new programs whenever I can.

                However, I feel that I also have a lot of strengths as far as the NET Standards go as well. Growing up around computers has given me a better understanding of computers than I otherwise would have. I think I am well versed in Standard I which “Technology Operations and Concepts.” This knowledge also helps me to do better in Standard VI which is on the social, ethical and legal aspects of technology.  I’m not sure I’ll ever have a perfect understanding of technology because it is constantly changing. However, I hope that I can maintain a level of understanding that will allow me to help my future students become acquainted with technology and help them apply to their own lives.

PowerPoint Activities Blog

    Today we were told about our PowerPoint Activity assignment. We're putting together a "how to" on making an interactive PowerPoint. This will eventually be part of our assignment.
    I think PowerPoint will be one of the programs that I will use the most in my future classroom. It's a great way to provide visual aspects to your lesson. However, I don't know much about how to make an interactive slideshow. I'm excited to learn more because I feel that it will be very beneficial in my future. PowerPoint slideshows are used in so many professions and presentations. In other words, the knowledge that I am learning will help me no matter what I end up doing in my future and will be especially helpful as a teacher.
    I think having interactive slideshows will be very helpful in a classroom. When I was in high school we would play Jeopardy games as a review for a test and I found this to be not only fun, but also beneficial. Especially today, where so many students are consumed with technology, having something that they can actually play around with will help a lot of them understand the concept better. I can see myself using slideshows as a review but also having them as homework or requiring students to come up with their own. There are so many directions and areas that you can take PowerPoint slideshows.

Picasa

This week we learned about Picasa. We had a scavenger hunt that took us around campus to take pictures. We will then use Picasa to change the pictures and make a PowerPoint.

I think this will be a helpful took. Picasa seems like a good way to manipulate photos and make them look the way you want them to. It also seems like a fairly easy program to use. I can tell that this tool will be helpful in my current job when I need to put together a slide show for graduation. It will also be helpful in my personal life as I put together pictures of events or travels. I'm not sure how I will be able to use this in other areas but, perhaps as I get used to the program more, I'll find different ways to use it. I feel like this is going to be the kind of program that will be fun to just play around with.

As I've been writing, I've been trying to come up with ways that I can use this in my future classroom. I think it could be beneficial to have slideshows of pictures of different events or eras. I'm not sure how often I will do this but I'll have to try and see how the kids respond. It may make a bigger impact on the students because it utilizes pictures and provides visual components to the lesson. I want to provide different learning styles a way to enjoy my class and I think Picassa will definitely appeal to many students. I can also have students use the programs themselves to create a project especially when we get into the 21st Century where there are many pictures to be found. Or perhaps they can do a project that tells the history of their own lives and they can use their own pictures. I'm really happy that all of these programs are free downloads because I'll be able to share it with others and I'm much more likely to use them.

Cyber Ethics Blog

   Today we learned about cyber ethics and cyber bullying. Cyber bullying and sexting have become a huge problem in today's society. There are a lot of stories on the news about people whose lives have been ruined by their involvement in these activities. We skimmed through different resources to help us as teachers and as members of society avoid these things.
   I think this is very important to go over especially as future teachers. This is something that more than likely one or more of our students will be involved in. I don't have a lot of personal experience with this myself so it was interesting to me to read accounts of cyber bullying. I'm thinking about sending some of the resource information to my siblings who have kids because I think it's easy for adults to think that this stuff doesn't really happen. It does. Cyber ethics is also an important aspect in any professional world. Whether it is a teacher or some other job a lot of work will be done over the internet and knowing the correct etiquette, or "netiquette" as one site called it, is valuable information.
    One of the questions raised in class today was how we, as teachers, can respond to these problems. I'm still a little unsure of where my place is being the teacher. We talked about a lot of things that teachers can do, but some of them didn't seem realistic. Still, I think it is beneficial to have a lesson on cyber bullying and sexting. I think it's important the kids realize that there are major consequences. I didn't realize that anyone involved in these activities faced such major problems with the law. Maybe knowing those things will deter some of the students from doing it. This is such a new problem that we, as a society, are still learning how to respond and what the necessary actions to take are. That puts teachers in a difficult position to teach them the right and wrongs of cyber ethics.

Digital Stories Blog

Today we worked on our Digital Story Assignment. My group and I are doing ours on the American Revolution. We're hoping to evoke a patriotic emotion and help students understand what the early American colonists were willing to do to be free.

I think Digital Stories can really enhance a lesson. History can often inspire emotion and I think using a Digital Story as a introduction to a new topic can help students become more emotionally vested into the topic. This will hopefully help them to be more interested and willing to learn. Not only can Digital Stories be beneficial in the educational world, but also in other aspects as well. These can be used to create photo diaries of an event or time. In my current job I have to put together a PowerPoint to show during our GED Graduation. PowerPoint can be difficult to work with and I'm excited to have a different program that I can use.

I'm hoping to implement Digital Stories as an introduction into new topics. I can utilize audio and pictures to help my students prepare for the new unit. I think both of these can really enhance the learning experience. Depending on the type of media I have access to, I may be able to assign my students a Digital Story to design on their own or in a group. This will not only allow me to discuss the importance of not using copyrighted material, but also allow them to research a topic in more depth. Perhaps I can share the Digital Stories I prepare with my future colleagues and vice versa. This will put a lot less stress on both of us. I'm looking forward to using Digital Stories in my future classroom.

Copyright, Creative Commons Blog

                Today we learned about Copyright law and intellectual property. I thought it was interesting because copyright law had changed so much in the last hundred years. Now a work is copyrighted for almost a hundred years after the author has died. Then it is free domain. We learned about resources to help us access material that is not under copyright.

            This will be very beneficial for me and my future students. As a history student I have to write a lot of papers and I know the importance of citing your information. I think this is important information for everyone to know. The internet is a great way to get information but it’s very important that we give credit to those that deserve it. This information is something that I will use throughout my life no matter what I end up doing. This is important in my current state as a student and in my job. It will also be helpful because I will have to teach my future students about the importance of copyright and how to avoid plagiarism.

            Although I wished we would have learned more, I think it was good for me to be reminded of the ethics in the world of technology. That growth in technology is great but it can also cause more problems that haven’t been experienced before. As teachers, we need to keep up with that type of thing because our students will be in the midst of it all.

Vidcast Reflection

            Our vidcast is called “Colonial Settlement.” We are working with a junior high history class and our cooperating teacher asked us to do a vidcast on the original 13 colonies. This project addresses Standard 4 in the U.S. History I of Utah’s Core Curriculum. We incorporated numerous standard objectives into the vidcast because we had to discuss a broad topic and our cooperating teacher wanted the project to lead into the American Revolution.

            There are multiple benefits to creating a vidcast on this particular subject. The original 13 colonies is the basis for much of American history. This information is an integral lesson that explains the foundations of Democracy and why the colonists fought against the British to become their own nation. This vidcast offers students a visual on that information. It combines visual, linguistic and musical aspects to accommodate different kinds of learners. Although it is short, it is a great way of introducing this specific topic to a classroom. It prepares them mentally to examine this time period and discover new aspects of history.

            This vidcast also complies with multiple INTASC Standards. Some of which include: Standard 2F in which the teacher must incorporate appropriate resources to facilitate individual student learning and 3E which requires teachers to differentiate instruction to meet individual

student learning needs. This project also complies with NETS Standards as well. More specifically it complies with Standard 3 which asks teachers to model digital-age work and learning. This vidcast demonstrates new technology that will very likely be integrated into the student’s future education or careers.

            Some potential drawbacks to using this series might be that it requires media and technology that some classrooms don’t have access to. Many classrooms are not able to use much technology yet. There is also that chance that a classroom will not react positively to new approach to learning.

            I think a series like this would be very beneficial in my future classroom. I intend to utilize vidcasts such as this one as an introduction into new topics. This way I can provide visuals and media to help my students get a brief overview of what we will be discussing and also help them to analyze the topics more. I believe that it is also necessary to help students become more familiar with different components of technology as it will be a large part of their lives. As a result, teachers must be familiar with it as well.    

Vidcast Blog

Today we learned about Vidcasts. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed because there are so many tools to use and so much information. I didn't realize how often I use Vidcasts in my own life especially because life is so technology-based. We will be doing a Vidcast for our cooperating teacher on a history content.
As a teacher, I think Vidcasts will become a very useful tools. Having something like this will be so helpful in incorporating different learning styles like visual and musical. Even now, in the Education Program, this information will be useful because I have to give presentations and when I go into classrooms I can learn what goes over well in an actual classroom. I want to learn more about PhotoStory and Jing because I think they will be the most useful. Jing could be useful in teaching others about computer programs because it's so much easier to learn when you can actually see the process. PhotoStory offers more than PowerPoint and I think will  be easier to assemble.
I intend to use a lot of these types of projects in my future classroom. It's difficult to teach history without doing a lot of lecturing but I think that utilizing things such as Vidcast makes it a much more enjoyable experience. History also requires a lot of research and programs such as Jing can help me teach students in a way that is more understandable. They say "pictures are worth a thousand words" and I believe that is especially true in history. Pictures and music enhance a history lesson so much and I hope I can make my classroom one in which my students enjoy learning. Technology is constantly changing and I'm excited to be able to pass this knowledge onto other teachers that may not have it. I hope I can become comfortable enough with it to be able to use it a lot in my future classroom.

Podcast Blog

Today we learned about podcasts. I’ll admit that before I thought this class was going to be a waste of time. I’ve never used a podcast and I thought that I would never use it as a teacher. However, after class I realized that there are many ways that I can use them. I didn’t realize that podcasts were much more than just public service announcements. I also didn’t realize how easy it was to make one.

I was talking to a friend who is going out of town for a few days and she said that she had downloaded all of her teacher’s podcasts so that she can stay caught up. I think this is so beneficial for a teacher to utilize in the classroom. Even in middle and high school there are times that you just can’t avoid missing class and having podcasts help those kids stay updated. It is also helpful for ESL students and those that may need to hear the lecture more than once to understand the concept.

I now realize the importance of a podcast and do hope to use it in my future classroom. In high school none of my teacher’s offered podcasts of the lectures and I think it would have been very helpful to many of the students. They may also be helpful when you have to make announcements. Instead of having to say the same thing over and over you could make a podcast to play for each class. It would actually save a lot of time and energy. All in all I was pleasantly surprised and have changed my mind about the uses of podcast in a classroom.

UEN

This was a more intense and difficult lesson but I’m glad I learned about UEN. I hope to be able to implement these things when I become a teacher and I know it will be helpful to have these resources.

I think the Pioneer will be helpful because it offers so much all in one place. I’m actually really excited to share this with some of my friends who have become teachers. I’ve always wanted to incorporate music and videos into my lessons. I think it helps to make history more approachable and Pioneer Library helps me find all of that. I enjoyed going through the stuff they had on eMedia and can already see ways to use it in lesson plans.

As I said before I want my history class to be fun and the Interactives will be useful in doing that. I’ll be able to use these games as assessment tools or as a way for the kids to be able to play games but still be learning. I think games can make history more real and helps to understand what really happened.

Obviously I’m excited to have help with the lesson plans. Like what was said in class, “we don’t have to reinvent the wheel.” I’m happy to have a resource that will give me a starting off point to my own lesson plans. There are great teachers out there and there’s no sense in not sharing the things we learn through experience. New ideas stem from old ones and I think having lesson plans that you can look at and then mold to your own needs is a really important teaching tool

I don’t know how many times I’ve already had to look at the Core Curriculum this semester alone and it’s just gotten started. So I know that when I become a teacher it will be a constant companion for me. I appreciate that all this information is in one place. It’ll make it so much easier for me and I know that for my first few years as a teacher anything to help make it easier will be greatly welcomed.

I hope to be able to become more comfortable with this site. It is a bit overwhelming because there is so much information but hopefully one day I’ll know exactly where everything is.

Reflection 3

Today we learned about Google Sites. We're putting together our own fictional classroom website which has different components like a calendar, a page for resources and homework assignments.
So far I think this is the most beneficial thing I've learned in this class. We live in an age of technology and I think it's important for teachers to have websites. I know that when I learn about something new I automatically try and find a website for it so I gain more information on the topic. Also as a student, I would much rather e-mail the teacher and I'm sure as a teacher I would much rather receive and e-mail instead of hundreds of phone calls. I also think it's beneficial to have assignments or classroom information online because then the students don't have excuses for not doing their work.
I'm looking forward to experimenting with Google Sites and becoming more comfortable. I think this knowledge will help me not only as a future teacher but in any job I have. Just the other day my coworkers and I were discussing how someone went about making a website and now I have the beginners knowledge of how to do it.
This will definitely change the way I teach. Not so much what I teach but it helps me to better communicate with absent students and helps my students learn how to be responsible for their own schoolwork. I am going into secondary education and I think having a class website that students have to access will help them prepare for college. I wish I would have had a teacher in high school who did because it was difficult in college for me to get used to finding classroom information online. I think this will also help me remain organized.
I'm excited that this will help me connect better with my students and their parents. I hope to be a teacher that is approachable, but I understand that some students find it difficult to ask questions in class and this website will help them. I also look forward to being able to provide my students with resources that they can use if there is a topic they are particularly interested in. I know that teachers can't cover everything they want to and this way I can provide extra information to my students.

Reflection 2

This week we learned about Google Docs and the mulitple applications it has to offer. I'm really excited to utilize this in my future classroom and life! I had no idea there was so much that you could do. One of my goals this semester is to get more organized and I know the calendar will help me do that. As a teacher, I will certainly need the calendar to help me keep track of everything. I'm also looking forward to being able to share documents because sometimes when you send it over e-mail the other person's computer can't load up the same formatting that you had. I've had this happen multiple times and it can be quite frustrating.
I think the ability to talk and complete group projects online will be very beneficial in my future classroom as well. I remember hating group projects in high school because it was so difficult to find a time that everyone could get together or not everyone had a reliable mode of transportation. As a result the whole project often fell on one or two students in the group. I think my students will greatly appreciate being able to work together online.
I'm looking forward to using this in my own life as well. All of these applications will help me as a student and in my current job. Sometimes I have to give presentations and my greatest fear is that I'll forget or lose the flashdrive my presentation is on. With this I can have it accessible practically anywhere. Also the ability to sync calendars with colleagues will be very beneficial. I'm looking forward to sharing this information.
As a teacher, I need to be able to incorporate students that may require more attention and a way of doing that is to have resources, tests, and powerpoints online. The Google Docs make that much more plausible and easier to accomplish.
All in all I wish that I had taken this class earlier. I think back on all the times that this knowledge would have been useful. However, I know that I will be able to utilize it now and I look forward to becoming more proficient. I know this will help me gather information, deliver tests and group projects when I become a teacher.

My Ideal Classroom

      I hope to be able to teach history in the future. In my ideal classroom I would have the resources I need to make history interesting. I grew up predominantly in small towns so my idea of a classroom mostly consists of a room with a computer, chairs and desks. None of my teachers had access to large amounts of technology. However, in my ideal classroom I would hope that I would have access to a smartboard and updated computers.
     I see myself using a lot of Powerpoint presentations but I want to be able to incorporate videos and music as I teach about different decades in history. I often hear that history is a boring subject and I want to make it more than just learning facts and dates. With the use of video and Powerpoint and, other things I hope to learn about, I want to make history an interesting subject for the students. I enjoy history because you constantly learn new things. I hope I have students that are receptive and ready to learn.
    Because of my constantly changing upbringing, I've learned to do what you can with what you have. Perhaps that is why it's difficult for me to really visualize my ideal classroom. I don't really see physical attributes, but I do hope to have access to advanced technology. Mostly I want to be surrounded by people who are willing to work and learn with me.