The Web 2.0 tool that I would choose would be Ubidesk Online Collaboration. https://www.ubidesk.com/
It is an online resource where students can share files and documents anywhere and to anyone. Ubidesk also allows students to work on documents at the same time and share ideas faster. I would use this online resource if I was having my students work together in groups when they are creating projects or doing work from home. This online resource helps students to work outside of class without having to meet face-to-face.
One of the accounts I have never used before if LiveJournal. I really enjoy using this tool because it is an organized way to keep me information, my opinions, and my thoughts. I also think that it is great because it can be accessed from anywhere and does not require any outside resources such as a pen and paper. Another account that I find interesting and useful is my Delicious account. I had never heard of this website before I was enrolled in this class. I am excited to see what I can do on this website and the features that are available to me.
Katie Westbrooks Blog
Monday, June 10, 2013
Monday, March 4, 2013
Assignment #5
A
classroom teacher needs different technologies to assist him or her in daily
activities. If I were to be given $10,000 to buy technology for my classroom I
would first purchase four new computers. I would purchase Dell computers
because they are reliable and affordable. The reason why I would purchase four
is because the computer I was originally given was too out dated to be used. I
think it would be an asset to have an up to date desktop computer. This would
benefit the students because then they would not have to share a computer with
me. I would distribute the three remaining computers among the classroom for
use by the students. These would allow students the ability to actively use
computers whenever they need to.
Computers
are necessary for classroom learning because students need to be able to access
learning activities such as Star Fall.
This online computer game assesses student’s math skills. Computers are also
helpful for students to learn how to type as well as navigate the Internet.
They are also necessary for students to complete their weekly reading tests.
Finally, having computers in the classroom will teach students responsibility
because they will learn how to take care of the computers and not damage them.
The
equipment I have selected comes in a bundle with the computer, the monitor, and
the printer. The printer is also a great asset to the classroom, because as a
teacher I will be required to print off lessons and different activities for
the students. The printer will benefit the students because they will then use
the information I have printed in the daily lesson plans. With the printer I
will need ink and paper. These will allow me to print what is needed for my
lesson plans, which with in turn benefits my students. I will also need a mouse
and keyboard for each computer. These are vital because without them the
students would not be able to use the computer. Lastly, I will need headphones
and speakers for the computers. The use of headphones will serve my students
greatly. They will be able to listen to things on the computer without
distracting their classmates. Speakers are also helpful in the classroom
because when more then one student wants to listen to something they are able
to.
The
next few items I would like to have in my classroom are an electronic
whiteboard and a digital protector as well as a replacement lamp. A digital
protector would be useful in my classroom because it would allow me to pull up
documents or websites on my computer and project them for the whole class to
see. This would be useful for students who are visual and auditory learners
because they could see and hear the information being taught to them.
The
electronic whiteboard and wireless pen tablet would allow me to create items on
the tablet and have them transferred to the whiteboard. The great thing about
these items is that they are mess free and are more organized. When teachers
write directly on the board it can become unorganized. Having this whiteboard
would allow me to organize information and present it more clearly. The
electronic whiteboard also has the capability of saving the information written
on it for a later date. This would be useful for students who did not
understand a problem or who were absent. Another use would that it shows them a
different way to learn to new information. I can write on, and circle different
parts of what I am teaching to emphasize its importance. Lastly, the elevation
mobile stand would be useful because it would allow me to move the whiteboard
when I wanted to write on the dry erase board or project images directly on the
dry erase board. This would be useful for students because they could become
actively engaged in the lesson by writing on pictures or papers projected on
the board.
In
conclusion all of these technologies and accessories would be useful in my
classroom because they engage students in what they learning about. They allow
students to interact with one another and the teacher. Lastly, it broadens
their familiarity with different types of technologies that will be useful in
their future endeavors.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Assignment #3
Learning
and cognitive style inventories both measure different parts of your
personality and learning styles. The cognitive
style inventory test measures personality using four different sections. The
results of my cognitive test were Introverted, Intuition, Feeling, and Judging.
Together these four personalities traits make up my personality type or INFJ.
The results given by this test describe how I interact with the world and
others. It showed that I am an introverted person meaning I work problems out
internally and I seek out personal relationships with others. Another
characteristic of my personality is that I have intuition meaning I strive for
the future and am futuristic. I seek out answers in what is unknown. Feeling
was another characteristic and this means that I let the small things get to me
and that I care about the success and well being of those close to me. Finally
I am judging which means I plan out my course of action. I tend to schedule
plans and rarely feel comfortable going with the flow.
The
next test, the learning style inventory
test, measures the different learning strategies I use on a daily basis.
The top four characteristics I scored highest in were Solitary, Social,
Physical, and Aural. A solitary learning style means I enjoy studying and
working alone to accomplish tasks. The social learning style means that when it
comes to learning new information I enjoy the company of others such as my
peers. Another one of the learning styles is physical meaning I learn best through
the use of my hands. Finally I am an aural learning stylist meaning I enjoy
music or background noises when I am working or studying. Together these styles
work together to create my personal learning style.
In
response to these test results I was surprised. I was surprised at how accurate
they were in determining my personality and my learning styles. Personally I
feel that they provide an accurate description of who I am as a person. For
example in the first test it showed that I have intuition. I have always looked to the
future for answers and do my best not to dwell on the past. It also proved that
I was judging and this is not a negative thing. Judging in my situations means
I like to plan things out and I like schedules. Together these two characteristics
work together to help me create a detailed out look on the future. The other
test was surprising accurate as well. It provided four characteristics that
exhibit my learning styles perfectly. I enjoy learning with groups of people,
but when it comes to studying I enjoy a place with no distractions. These two
characteristics were shown in my test. Finally I never realized that background
noise or music was apart of my learning style. I have always enjoyed music
while doing homework and require the sound of the fan to drown out the silence.
Together the results of these two tests will help me to determine my strengths
and weaknesses and become a better teacher.
In
conclusion these results will help me as a teacher in my future classroom. My
four personality characteristics will help me create relationships with my
students. They will help me to determine what I like and dislike and using that
information I can better improve my classroom instruction and tolerance. I will
also be able to relate to a student who shows the same personality
characteristics as me. This will enable me to tailor my lesson plan to the
uniqueness of each child. The learning styles test will further improve my
ability to tailor my lesson plans because I know that everyone learns differently.
By sharing these learning styles with my students I will be able to see which
best suits their individual needs.
http://www.personalitypathways.com/type_inventory.html
http://www.learning-styles-online.com/inventory/results.php
Assignment #1
Technology in Education
Educational
technology is the use of interactive technological devices for the purpose of
engaging students in learning. The definition of educational technology as
stated in Chapter 1 of the Teaching and
Learning with Technology textbook is “any technology used by educators in
support of the teaching and learning process” (Lever-Duffy & McDonald p.
5). This definition is similar to my personal definition because both describe
the use of technology to promote the learning process. However they are
different because I focused on the importance of engaging students in their
learning, whereas the book specifies it as a support for teaching that
encompasses the general idea of what educational technology is. The role of
technology with teaching and learning differs from person to person.
I
personally believe that the role of technology in learning is the importance of
giving students a visual and hands-on approach to learning new material.
Technology plays a role in every subject whether it is English, Science or even
Math. For example in math students can use different websites to practice math
problems or study for tests. These websites interact with students and give
them opportunities to manipulate different problems or shapes. The role of
teaching with technology has a different approach.
The
role of technology in teaching is to actively engage students in what they are
learning by providing them different learning strategies. For example every
student learns differently so by teaching with technology I can create a lesson
that is suited to meet every child’s unique learning styles. For students who
are visual learners I can use projectors or PowerPoint so that students can see
what is being taught. For those students who are audio learners I can use
different technological devices talk to students and verbalize the new
information being taught. Finally for those students who work best when they
can interact with what they are learning about, I can introduce hands-on
activities. For example in science when learning about different plants I can
bring examples in so students can work with them. This will benefit not only
the hands-on learner but also the visual and audio learner as well. Technology
may be useful for these types of learners, but there are factors that encourage
and discourage the use of technology in the classroom.
Factors
that encourage technology in the classroom are students with disabilities.
Students with disabilities may require the use of technology to assist them in
the learning process. For example students who cannot speak may require a
device that they can input information into to then communicate. Another factor
that encourages technology in the classroom is a student’s potential. All
students should be given as many opportunities as possible to reach their
potential. This means that if technology will assist them in this goal then
they should be encouraged to use it. However often times there are factors that
discourage the use of technology in the classroom.
Technology can become discouraging if
the technology is out of date and not useful. If the technology is not serving
its purpose of helping students learn then this can become an issue in
teaching. Another factor that can discourage the use of technology in the
classroom is when the technology becomes expensive or teachers do not know how
to use it. This takes away from the money that could be spent on other needed
resources for the classroom. It also takes away teaching and learning time if
the teacher does not know how to work the technology. Finally technology can
become discouraging when it becomes hard to incorporate it into a lesson plan.
Sometimes the use of a certain technological device does not fit the lesson
topic. In this case teachers
should save that website or computer program for a different, more fitting
topic. In my education I have been exposed to a variety of technology that will
benefit me as a future teacher.
My
prior experiences with technology have been a combination of teaching and
learning. At an early age I was exposed to such things as Microsoft Word and
PowerPoint. As a student I used these devices to create projects for class and
write papers. I also have had experience using things such as Adobe Photoshop
and Wiki. These devices allowed me to be creative when it came to creating
digital images and interactive presentations. Technology was also a very big
part of how I learned new information.
Technology
was a part of my everyday curriculum in middle and high school. Almost every
teacher used a PowerPoint device to lecture from. Personally I did not feel
that this was the best way to teach the information. When my teachers taught
like this I was not being engaged; instead I was constantly writing trying to
keep up with the material. I felt more engaged with my teachers when they knew
their material and did hands on activities that tied it all together. Hands on
activities are great ways for students to feel connected with what they are
learning about. In my experience with teaching I have focused most lessons
around getting students involved using interactive technology.
The
experiences I have had with technology as a teacher have varied. I have used
different programs on the Ipad to help children learn the alphabet and their colors.
The program used an interactive train to show students visually different
letters and colors. On each train car a different letter would appear and a
voice would say the name of the letter. The students would then have to repeat
the letter. This allowed students to visually see what the letter looked like,
but it also allowed them to hear what it sounded like. I have also seen
technology used in classroom with smaller children helping them to develop
their sensory motor skills. Using a touch screen on the Ipad I helped students
to manipulate their fingers in order to correctly touch the objects on the
screen.
In
the classroom I have also assisted teachers using the smart board and the
projector screen. On these devices I wrote down instructions that I wanted my
students to follow. By writing the directions on the projector I was able to
make it the center of attention in the classroom. This also was more effective
then writing it on the board because this way it would not accidently be
erased. The projector was also a great way for students to see what I was doing
when I was teaching math. I would write a problem on paper and it would be
projected onto the board, then students could interact and engage in the work
by writing on the board.
In conclusion educational
technology is the use of interactive technological devices for the purpose of
engaging students in learning. I hope that in my future career as a teacher I
can effectively incorporate technology into my lessons. Students can gain so
much by learning how to use technology at an early age. The sooner they are
exposed to technology the better off they will be. A student’s ability to use
technology effectively is a great tool for them to have and I hope to provide
them with as many opportunities as possible to be successful using it.
References
Lever-Duffy,
J., & McDonald, J. (2007). Teaching and learning with technology.
(4th ed., p. 5). Boston: Pearson Education Inc.
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