Reflective Blog Post

This course was so much fun ! I never thought I would enjoy an online course. Actually, EME 2040 was my first online course. At first, I was really nervous of taking this class online because I am a procrastinating person and I leave everything at the end. But overall I think I did better than I thought :) that I will be taking my second online course this summer semester. 

Photo credit to ForestForTrees on Flickr

I learned awesome things that I didn't knew at all like this Blog!!!! I never used a blog in my entire education, I didn't even knew how to open one. This blog helped me in many ways since this course is online. It got me to open the book and learn what we were actually learning. Also, I got to  learn how to use a different digital tool for each chapter, the bistrips and toondoo were my favorites. :)I will totally involve this activities in my curriculum. The discussions topic were really informative, what I liked the most was that I got to see everyone's opinion. Regarding to the lesson plan,  It was hard to work in a group since everyone had different schedule or plans. So, I enjoyed the WebQuest and the Teacher E-portfolio better even though I didn't got an excellent grade, but that was mine grade, not someone else's. I learned many things building these projects, for example, the importance of just having a website for your students as a reference, it means a lot. E-Portfolios are a creative means of organizing, summarizing, and sharing artifacts, information, and ideas about teaching and/or learning, along with personal and professional growth (Johnson). Learning how to critique a website it was cool. I felt like an actual teacher grading someone else work. As a future teacher it will help me alot because I wouldn't like to provide old information to my students. 

Photo credit to jennip98 on Flickr

However, teachers should take a technology course every 5 years, at least. Some Educators don't know the importance of being accurate with technology. It also enhances the relationship between the student and teacher. On this website, Technology Integration, Educators can explore new tools and strategies for empowering students to fully participate in a connected, technology-rich society. Overall, I extremely enjoyed and learned that technology can be challenging but worth it. ;) 

References:

Blended Learning: Making it Work in Your Classroom. (2014, September 11). Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/practice/blended-learning-making-it-work-your-classroom  

Johnson, L. (n.d.).  . Retrieved May 2, 2015, from http://eduscapes.com/tap/topic82.htm  

Chapter 12-Digital Blog Post #L

Chapter 6-Digital Blog Post #K

Being a teacher means being a constant learner about the subjects you teach and topics you find interesting and engaging (Maloy, pg 145). Especially if teachers are dealing with the advances of the technology. For example, I will be a math teacher. With the advances of the technology, hopefully, I will be using laptops, graphing calculators, or tables in my classroom. Since textbooks are quickly out-of-date, but school systems do not have the sufficient money to replace them as often as need.

Bookmarking for teachers now on days is heaven. Teachers of an earlier generation used files folders, notebooks, and other type of paper organizing system (Maloy, pg 146). Using a bookmark, teachers can electronically catalog and subsequently access Web pages with just one simple command. I think the hardest part of technology is  how to use Web resources with students while teaching. It becomes harder ageing. Even till this days, teachers from years of experience don't know how to use websites or this wonderful benefits of the technology.

There must be a better way...

Photo credit by nathanborror on Flickr

WebQuest are online inquiries by students-designed and guided by teachers (Maloy, pg 153). Technology offers teachers an additional resource that paper activities do not. That's the interesting part of technology! For example, WebQuests are designed so students will explore multiple options for content learning as they complete a series of tasks. Most include the following five stages:

• Stage setting
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation
• Conclusion

Technology can be demanding sometimes!

Resources:

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Chapter 11- Digital Blog Post #J

Chapter 4- Digital Blog Post #I

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Test assessments are a big controversy along the states. Students are tested to evaluate their academic performance and are ranked according to how low or high they scored. I totally disagree with state tests. Many students get stuck in 3rd grade just because they can't pass the FCAT? These children are little and their future depends on that test. How horrible! According to a new study on PBS article, says that students with good grades and modest testing did better in college than students with higher testing and lower high school grades. That's what I am talking about! GPA should be the most valuable score.


Technology makes our lives easier! In particular at work. To be a teacher now on these days is less stressful and way more fun. Many teacher use electronic grading software as a virtual recordkeeping system (Maloy, pg 71).  This program automatically calculates the overall grade without having to do some math. Isn't great? So, students can have immediate access to their grades, and allow them to see their progress during the semester.


Using technology in lesson planning is the most effective way to get the students' attention. The internet provides vast electronic resources for supporting lesson development using students learning objectives and understanding by design approaches (Maloy, pg 65). Also, using videos or pictures are a big attention gather for students. I love to see pictures as a examples. I learn more visually than hearing.

In conclusion, chapter 4 discusses the student learning objective, the use of technology to make lesson plans, how teachers evaluate their students, etc. Designing lesson plans with technology makes it better.




Resources:
 De La Garza, D. (2015, March 27). Untitled Banner. Retrieved March 27, 2015, from https://magic.piktochart.com/output/5254946-untitled-banner

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

(n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2015, from http://www.brighthubeducation.com/student-assessment-tools/16137-the-pros-and-cons-of-standardized-testing/

Sheffer, S. (2014, February 18). Do ACT and SAT scores really matter? New study says they shouldn’t. Retrieved January 28, 2015, from http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/nail-biting-standardized-testing-may-miss-mark-college-students/

Chapter 9- Digital Blog Post #H

For example, digital cameras, digital projector, educational software with multimedia applications like PowerPoint, etc. Ideally, by presenting educational material in words, pictures, sound, and animation, teachers can take "advantage of the full capacity of humans for processing information" (Maloy, pg 244). 

Photo credit by hackNY on Flickr

Students enjoy using presentation software as a part of school assignments. Even though sometimes it can be embarrassing when there is a technology error! I remember when I took public speaking course, I was terrified. But, thanks to PowerPoint or Prezi my life couldn't be easier. Presentations provide visual dimension, key points, and also text can be combined with images. I felt much more comfortable with these awesome multimedia technologies. The Speak Up 2006 national survey of more than 23,000 K-12 students found that creating presentations and movies on the computer was a favorite school work activity (Maloy, page 246). However, creating interactive PowerPoint presentations it's not easy! It involves the following strategies: 

• use the slides as attention-getters
• develop your own PowerPoint learning
• display questions or comments
• promote visual analysis 
• use visual text
• make visual presentations

Another multimedia tool that is popular and effective teaching tool is video. Why use video in the Classroom? Teachers who use instructional video report that their students retain more information, understand concepts more rapidly and are more enthusiastic about what they are learning. With video as one component in a thoughtful lesson plan, students often make new connections between curriculum topics, and discover links between these topics and the world outside the classroom ("Resources").

Resources:

De La Garza, D. (2015, March 11). Voki For Web. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.voki.com/mywebsite.php

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.
 
Park, D. (2009, October 18). 10 reasons to use multi-media in classroom. Retrieved March 11, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRueMDK2-e8  

Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2015, from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/ntti/resources/video1.html 

 

Chapter 10-Digital Blog Post #G

Technology supports learning success for all students. DI and UDL are often associated with instructional changes designed to meet the needs of students with special educational needs, gifted, and talented learners, or English language learners (Maloy, pg 277). It's amazing how we benefit from technology. I wouldn't imagine to be born in the past centuries!! Back then it was hard to success without technology support. Now on these days, all students can be someone important in life without obstacles. 

Photo credit by Toban B. on Flickr

Classroom learning with technology is the best !! Students will pay more attention if there is technology involve in the classroom, for example, videos, powerpoints, or just pictures. I would love to use high tech in my classroom since I am learning how to use other digital tools that I didn't know they existed. I wish students could use their tablets at school like we do in college because also this tools make it possible for individuals with hearing, sight, mobility, or cognitive challenges to translate text and understand spoken words and data with aid of a supportive tool (Maloy, pg 284).  


Calculators? what can I say about this "wonderful" tool. Now on days calculators make lives easier, specially for students of all ages. Also, this tool help students with disabilities, who have short term memory deficits and who lack confidence with number operations (Maloy, pg 287). However, I don't like scientific calculators that perform more than just complex operations. That's the reason why we don't use our mental math strategies. Many educators teach students how to do math only  in a scientific calculator, but  what about when they have to present a National or International test and universities will not allow to use them on the test? I want to be clear that I am not against these potential machine, but I thought that good math teaching was about developing mental skills, not on how to press buttons!  


Resources:

De La Garza, D. (n.d.). Tagxedo - Word Cloud with Styles. Retrieved February 24, 2015, from http://www.tagxedo.com/app.html 

Maloy, Robert, Verock-O’Loughlin,Ruth-Ellen, Edwards, Sharon A., and Woolf, Beverly Park (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.