ILP "Design" - Glogster

I designed a poster on the website called "Glogster". Glogster provides templates for different types of posters that can be customized for personal or classroom use. I created a Glog that I could potentially use in the classroom in the future. It specifies a "Classroom Star of the Week" and describes the good accomplishments of the student that is chosen. Here is a link to my Glog!

ILP "Participation" - Lynda Tutorial on Visual Thinking Strategies

1) Activity Log
Visual Thinking Strategies
- 4:41 started tutorial
-4:42 Gives an overview of visual thinking strategies
-4:43 shows how an image can be used as starting point for a discussion
-4:44 says it encourages kids to answer questions in multiple subjects
-4:45 Yenawine talked to cognitive developmental scientist to collaborate
-4:46 breaks down the steps to using Visual Thinking Strategies in the classroom
-4:46 fosters credibility and self confidence bc there are no "wrong answers"
-4:48 seeing where the student is coming from helps create natural links and disagree without frustration
- 4:50 VTS is about reflection and looking inside 'teacher quote'
-4:50 teachers say how they doubted it at first but then grew to love it
-4:52 helps teachers grow and do better in other areas too
-4:52 principal talks about VTS in his school
-4:53 Yenawine talks about vts fostering ongoing learning
- 4:54 interview of Philip Yenawine starts
-4:56 talks about process of looking and needing to learn those skills
-4:58 discusses trends of museum goers
-4:59 Discusses the basics and the creation of VTS
-5:01 everyone participates in VTS in the classroom
-5:02 talks about how it supports and encourages students at a disadvantage (EL, LD) to answer and give ideas
-5:03 gives example of a teacher implementing VTS when she needed it most
-5:04 tutorial ends



2) By watching this tutorial, I learned about Visual Thinking strategies and how they are used in the classroom. I learned that this can be an effective method to use with all students, but especially with students that may not have the confidence to answer questions in a normal lesson, such as students with learning disabilities or English language learners. I learned the basic steps of how to use Visual Thinking strategies in the most effective way, and also how it actually ends up helping students in all subject areas.

3)

Blog Post #10

I think I will use Data Collection tools to interact with both parents and students. I plan on teaching first grade, and I think it will be helpful to use Qualtrics surveys to get info from parents. I could use a survey to see how effective parents think their students are understanding topics and learning in my classroom. I could also use a simpler version of these surveys to ask students about their experience in the classroom and find out what they like and don't like.

The topic I found most interesting from reviewing my classmates blogs was how they want to use technology in their classrooms in the future. Some of them had really cool ideas on how to implement technology we have learned about in a classroom setting. It was also a good way to check out their assignments and see how creative everyone else in the class is.

The next technology-related skill I would like to learn is how to use Photoshop. My knowledge about Photoshop is pretty limited. I think it would be helpful to learn how to use Photoshop so that I can make posters and cool pictures to hang up around my classroom.

I think I will achieve my future educational technology related goals by practicing the skills I already have learned and learning new skills as my education progresses. I will implement technology and lessons on how to use the technology in the classroom.

Blog Post #9

A flipped classroom is a type of instructional option where activities that would normally be used as homework are used in the classroom, and lectures and lessons are online for the students to learn on their own time after school. This classroom setting is almost the complete opposite of a traditional setting. I think this model of instruction would only work if the students were motivated to put in the work necessary to learn outside of the classroom. The following is a link to a website with educational videos: http://www.khanacademy.com

 I have briefly mentioned Teacher Tube before in one of my other blog posts. This web-based resource could help me in my professional development. Not only are there videos on the site that I could use with my students, but there are also videos specifically to help teachers learn and further their knowledge. http://www.teachertube.com

I learned how to make a PowerPoint in a non-linear way through completing the PowerPoint interaction assignment. I previously had not known how to hyperlink slides within a PowerPoint. I liked that I had the freedom to be creative and make my PowerPoint anything I wanted it to be. Next time I can create a different game or make it more instructional. This could be used in my future career as a way to engage students.

Blog Post #8

I think the technological advancement of the 3D printer holds a big promise in education. The 3D printer can be used to create a variety of tools for students, including specialized tools for special needs students. Also, using a 3D printer to make learning tools is very cost effective and pretty simple.

I am on the side of the digital divide that allows all students, regardless of the technology they have access to, to be given an equal education. I think that assignments outside of the classroom should not be web based or deal with technology, since not all students will have an easy time accessing these resources. The digital divide is something that I will have to be understanding of when I am a teacher. As a teacher I will make sure all technological learning and activities are done in class, and that the homework I give is primarily hand written, this way everyone can do it. If I do need to assign homework on the computer, I will make sure I provide ample time and opportunities for students to use the computers and technology at school so they do not fall behind.

I learned a lot from this PowerPoint assignment. I already knew how to use PowerPoint, however I had never really thought about how I would have to learn to use it to teach students in the future. I didn't really learn anything new, but it did give me good and necessary practice for my future. I also had never really used the speaker notes, but that is something I can definitely see myself using more. I think I can improve it next time by finding new ways to present the information. I think maybe using a different type of list than the one I used would be a good way to do this. In the future I will be creating PowerPoints like this for my students so I thought the assignment was very helpful.

Blog Post #7

Using Bloom's Taxonomy to support student learning in a particular lesson on powerpoint can be a useful tool. The create step of Blooms' Taxonomy is utilized when you create your powerpoint. The evaluate step is utilized when you evaluate if your student is learning and gauge their information retention. The analyze step is utilized if you depict graphs and charts on the powerpoint that help to enforce the topic. The applying step would be utilized when getting students to apply what they have learned to real world situations, and maybe embedding a video in the powerpoint that depicts this. The understanding step is utilized when you list key bullets on the powerpoint, but give an in depth explanation of each. Lastly, the remembering step is utilized if you include a short quiz or an interactive activity on the last slide of the powerpoint that will help students remember the lesson.

Adaptive technologies are devices such as hearing aids, word processors, braille, etc. They are used to support learners that may have a disability in a certain area and need the extra help. A guy in my high school classes was deaf and used a hearing aid to assist him in learning. The challenges I perceive in using adaptive technologies in my classroom is that they might not always work and then I would have to find other ways to help that student that needs support.

A acquired a lot of new skills from working on the Web Page Design assignment. I had never created a website before so trying to figure out how to make one was a slow but rewarding process. I liked that I had room to be as creative as I wanted and design the website to my own liking. The only thing I didn't like was that I couldn't figure out how to embed a calendar! I think this assignment will help me in my future because it provided me with the basic skills that I need to create a website for my future students and their parents.
http://msketchamsclass.weebly.com/

***Sorry this is late! I accidentally clicked save instead of publish yesterday!

Blog Post #6

I visited a website for Switlik Elementary School. Each teacher had a class page linked to the main website. Most of the class pages publicly showed information such as upcoming events, what the students are learning, and how parents can help their students continue to learn at home. Some of them also included material lists and special programs that the teachers do for their students. I specifically looked at the class pages for first grade students. The picture below depicts one of the class pages I visited.

I envision myself using technology in my classroom to make lessons more efficient and effective. I see myself using a smart board and allowing students to interact with it in order to make my lessons more engaging and interactive for the students. I also see myself using virtual reality in the classroom to take my students on virtual field trips. This would allow my students to explore many places that they might not actually get to go in real life.

Some new skills I acquired from working on the Web Evaluation wiki was how to create a wiki and also how to evaluate web sources. I liked that the wiki was fairly easy to create and after exploring the site for a little bit I had a pretty good grasp on how to use it. I did not like that only one group member could edit the wiki at once. This made it harder to all work on the wiki when it was convenient for us. In the future I can use these skills to create web evaluations for my students and even for myself to use in the classroom.