ILP "Design" - Infographic

Using Canva's Infographic tool I created an educational poster giving a brief history of Thanksgiving. A great tool to use for younger students.

(does not allow a link or photo - so the project has been emailed)

ILP "Design" - Prezi

My ILP is a step-by-step tutorial on how to use the social media app Instagram. This Prezi teaches beginners how to use the app and explore social media on a new platform.

Check out my Prezi here

Blog Post 10

       This assignment taught me more in depth skills in regards to PowerPoint. Before this assignment I had never used the interactive tools that were included in this system, but I definitely have a better understanding now. I liked this assignment because it was easy to understand the tools in PowerPoint while still creating a complex and interactive system for my "students". This assignment was also more enjoyable because I had more leeway when it came to the subject - I could choose my topic and how I wanted my PowerPoint to look.
       As a teacher, I could use Data Collection tools in the classroom all the time. This would be useful when I am putting in grades and need to see the statistics of certain assignments; for instance if I need to determine the students who need help with certain topics, which students consistently score the highest, etc. Data Collection tools would be useful for any grade or subject, but one instance that it would be helpful is in elementary English class. Data collection would help me, as a teacher, decide which of my fourth graders is reading on level, who is advanced, and who is struggling. Statistics will help me determine who needs extra assistance and who can move up a reading level.
       After reviewing my classmates' blogs, the most interesting topic that I saw were the different tools that are available on the Internet. I have been using the Internet for as long as I can remember, but there are still so many tools and websites that I have not heard of and possibly never will. Looking through my peers' blogs opened my eyes to multiple new websites that are not only prevalent to educators, but to students as well. These websites have helped me so far in this class, but I think that they will help me in future courses as well.
       One technology skill that I am still trying to master is Excel. Even though we've gone over Excel in class, I would still like to become a better user. I have always been a slow learner when it comes to technology and I have never quite 'gotten the hang' of Excel. Excel is used in so many classes and crucial in so many projects that I feel that it is a necessary tool for me to master. After reviewing this software in class I now know the basics of Excel, but in the future I would still like to better understand most if not all of the functions and tools that Excel has to offer.
       In order to achieve my future educational technology goal of mastering Excel, there is only one thing to do and that is to practice working on this software. Beyond Excel, I cannot think of any specific education technology goals that I have. I do not plan on becoming a teacher or educator in any way, so my education goals would be limited to what I would like to achieve while I am still a student. My obvious goal is to succeed academically while I am in school and technology will be a crucial element to that success. I will constantly be learning new ways to adapt to technology and use new tools in my academic life, so another goal would be to adapt successfully as technology changes.

Blog Post 9

       "The Flipped Classroom" is a classroom model in which the teaching process is reversed - students learn independently at home and then practice what they've learned once they've returned to school. Students watch videos and lectures when they are at home before class, and then once they get to class they participate in activities and fill out worksheets with their peers and teacher in order to review what they have previously learned on their own. "The Flipped Classroom" model focuses on students learning on their own and focusing on what the individual can learn on their own. There is no set system for this model other than the student learning the lesson on their own prior to the classroom going over it together.
http://flippedlearning.org/domain/36       An interesting web resource to assist teachers in professional development is TeacherVision. This site has plenty of tools that educators can use for teaching students a multitude of different subjects. The site includes lesson plans, class idea for different holidays or events, and many activities and worksheets.
       TeacherVision is a great tool for teachers to use because it breaks down activities through different filters. Educators can choose by grade, subject, themes, and types so that it is easy for them to find the perfect lesson or activity for their class. Within these filters are more filters so that teacher will always have an easy time finding relevant resources.
      This assignment taught me skills for creating elaborate PowerPoints in order to better teach my class. I liked this assignment because it was a good refresher in PowerPoint which I feel will be a crucial tool for future lessons. The only part of the assignment that I did not like was the number of slides required because I had to stretch information pretty thin in order to meet the requirement.

Blog Post 8

       The technology advancement that I feel will be most crucial to future education is 3D printing. 3D printing will be helpful in classrooms because it can replicate learning tools that we do not have access to now such as replicas of organs, molecules, fossils, etc. Having 3D models will allows students to better understand and visualize the topic that they are studying. 3D printing would also be a great tool in art education because students can see replicas of other art pieces as well as seeing their own projects come to life in a physical form.
      One piece of technology that I believe will become big in future education is the flexible display feature. Smartphones are beginning to work on flexible display for some products but it has not truly hit the mainstream yet. I believe that flexible display will become big in classrooms because they are built to be more durable than regular screens which is good when working with young children. Also, flexible display note-taking may become big because it saves on paper and is super lightweight.
http://www.flexible-display.net/
       Within the digital divide, I am definitely on the side that has consistent access to technology. I have my own laptop, smartphone, and tablet and if anything breaks, I have easy access to public computers at the library as well. I use technology every single day both in the academic setting and personally. The divide will affect my classroom because I will have students who are very fluent in technology and have easy access to computers and other tools; but I will also have students who do not have that kind of consistent access and will not be as well versed in technology or Internet usage. I will address the divide by teaching technology in the classroom, allowing the students who are not as technical to catch up. I will try to avoid assigning take home work that involves a computer, but when I do, I will allow time in class or in a computer lab to work on it.       

Blog Post 7

        PowerPoint is a great tool that many teachers use on a daily basis in order to assist lesson plans and teach students new information. PowerPoint is a good tool to use when teaching according to Bloom's Taxonomy because it would be the most efficient way to convey multiple levels of understanding. For example, when teaching students about a book, the first focus could be on the basic plot and characters. Asking students questions like 'which character said what' would satisfy the remembering level of the taxonomy. The understanding level could be satisfied by the next slide asking questions about the students' opinion on the symbolism found in the book or their interpretation on the characters' interactions. The applying level would be satisfied by the next slide asking students to apply their outside knowledge to what they read about it in the book. A good question to ask would be, "how can you relate one of your own personal struggles to that of the main character?" The next slide in the PowerPoint would focus on analyzing the book. Students would be asked to analyze plot devices and development in order to better understand how the events in the book all related to one another to develop a coherent story. The next slide would evaluate the book. Was the book accurate in its facts? Was it historically accurate? Evaluate the time and setting when the book was published; how would it effect the story's initial introduction to the public? The last level of Bloom's Taxonomy is creating - students would be asked to create an alternative ending to the book in accordance to how they think the characters should have reacted. 

       Adaptive technology is specially made for students who need extra assistance in the classroom. Adaptive technology helps students who may be blind or deaf by catering to their needs and allowing them to complete tasks. Some examples of adaptive technology are screen magnifiers that assist people with low vision, a digital photo and reading device that takes a picture of a text and will then read it out loud to those who are blind. the fews cons that I can think of when it comes to having adaptive technology in the classroom is that its very costly and many schools do not have enough funding for necessary equipment. Teachers would also have to be trained on how to use the complicated technology which would take time away from them being in the classroom.
       Working the web design assignment taught me design skills. I had never made a website before this assignment but this assignment taught me how easy it can be with the right tools. Weebly made this project easy since it had easy-to-use layouts and tools that allowed me to design a professional looking web page. I liked this assignment since it was more fun than the usual project and it did not take up too much time. These skills I learned can be used in my future career because I now know how to design a webpage and that can come in handy.


http://dorwarteme2040.weebly.com/

Blog Post 6

        The school web pages that I checked out mostly included the same information. The school home page contained information on school wide events such as midterms, homecoming, athletic events, etc. The homepages also included links to school board sites, county information, and national links. Individual teacher sites contained calendars for homework, tests, and assignments that were specific to that class. Teachers also provided links to extra sources that would help their students with certain topics in that class. The school that I used was Bartram Trail High School in St. Johns County, Florida - my former high school.

       Technology is a crucial aspect in both my personal and (future) professional life. Technology makes easy, every day tasks even easier. Whether it's using Google to research a paper or simply look up movie times, technology makes life more efficient. Technology in the classroom is crucial for both research, but also for printing homework and tests. Microsoft Word makes creating assignments easier than if they were being created by hand. Chapter 7 also discussed electronic spreadsheets being a great tool for teachers to use in the classroom because it made tasks like charting and creating spreadsheets even better.

       The Web Resource Evaluation assignment helped me look at webpages with a new eye and a new appreciation. I go on websites every single day but I've never truly stopped to think about the authority or creation of these sites. This assignment helped me to realize that not all websites are created equally, some may be pretty but are not accurate and some may be accurate but are not pretty. Users need to find sites that appeal both aesthetically and factually. I thought that this assignment was a little more difficult to understand, just because the instructions were a little vague, which caused me to read through them many, many times. The website PBworks was also new to me so it took me a little time to truly learn how to utilize it.