EDUC 422 Final Blog

This class was very valuable to all students, no matter if they are entering the credential program or not. I am undecided if I am going to continue into the credential program, but I still feel that the tools that I learned will be beneficial no matter what future path I take. Technology is constantly changing and it is importnat to stay up to date in order to be successful. Not only is education surounding by technology, but the entire world is!

EDUC 422 Blog 14

This week we learned about the elements of iMovie such as importing images and clips, editing and also methods of putting finishing touches on the entire piece as a whole. This program is ideal for classroom use because it can be used for any subject. Not only is the program adaptable to multiple subjects, but it is accommodating to shy students who do not like to present in front of the class. During my elementary, middle and high school years I had always been that student; yes that was me, the shy student who dreaded public speaking. By creating a video I would only have to speak in front of the few other students in my group, which never was as humiliating as speaking in front of the class as a whole. Also I feel that iMovie allows students to think outside of the box where they have the opportunity to expand the knowledge further than just taking an exam or writing a response. Creativity and imagination are major elements of developing a video. Being an art minor, I crave activities such as these and it is unfortunate that we do not see these as often in classrooms as I would like. I For these reasons, I think this program is extremely beneficial to any age of students.

The article assigned for this week's reading only further exemplified the thorough process that goes into creating a movie. Not only are the students learning the technological aspects of the program, but also organizing their research, ideas and opinions as a group. Through this students touch on many different subjects. Math is adapted by assigning each storyboard piece to a specific amount of time. Writing skills are included by creating a script in order to use in developing the video. Then there is the obviously also the incorporated subject and unit that the students are studying. Lastly, it would be great if students could each have a copy of their video in order to save for memories of their hard work. With all of these concepts incorporated into one project I would be surprised if any teacher would turn down such an opportunity for his or her students!

EDUC 422 Blog #13

I must be honest, when I walked into class and dicovered that we were learning about Databases this week I was slightly intimidated. Though I have never used Microsoft Access I still had heard many horror stories about the program, which was the main source of my feelings of intimidation. Therefore when we were intoduced to the Inspiration Database program I was surprised how simple it was to learn about database. The most important benefit in using database in the classroom is organization. As students it is important that we have learned the organizational skills to make our schoolwork run smoothly. The majority of college students are juggling full-time classes along with the additional outside studies and homework, full/part-time jobs, family and friends. Therefore organization is the key to keeping our lives (all parts of it) together. This works the same in our future teaching careers. We have learned through observations and classroom readings and discussions the importance of organization to a teacher.

The World Wide Web: Interfaces, Dataases, and Applications to Education Article

This article was based on the "behind the scenes" information that goes into creating a database. First discussed how the databases work and what is included in order for the database to work. First is the web form which allows for the information to be entered into the database. (This includes the fields, pop-up menus, check boxes.) Next is CGI and PERL which refer to the computer language. An interesting part of the article mentioned the use of an "online discussion." This allows students to post comments and insights at anytime as well as respond to their fellow peers. As a college student who has taken a few online and part-online classes, I enjoy discussion boards because they allow students to speak thier opinion without as much fear as speaking during class discussion. As a student who has always been less apt to speak my opinion, the online discussions allowed me to feel more comfortable voicing my opinion, any ideas and even ask questions.

The Database: America's Presidents

This article brought attention to the six new literacies which include the following: compute, communicate, conclude, confirm, categorize, and classify. It is these aspects that will help both students and teacher to stay current with the constant growth and changes in technology. The everyday use of technology has been incorporated within the activities taught during class. I like this teaching method because technology (in this case a database) is percieved by the teacher as a necessary use of organizing infomation. If teachers that I had during my educational journey would have developed a path similar to this I most likely would have not developed such a fear of using databases.

Database Bells and Whistles: Organizing Data for Whole-Class Use

This article was interesting in the sense that it introduced the idea of databases as a possible opening of doors into new modes of thinking. By having students organize information into different fields forces students to think about the learned information differently therefore embellishing thoughts of crtical thinking. Not only do databases provide this, they also allow students to use the program to sort information, chart information inputed and therefore compare and contrast that information. It was interesting to learn that the example given was used with only one computer in the classrom. This is beneficial because as we have learned there are many schools and classrooms that do not have as many technological opportunites as others. Computer labs are shared with the entire school therefore use is rare. Using the database example where students can comment on each other is a great way of adjusting to the lack of supplies.

EDUC 422 Blog 11

This week we learned about the uses of Wiki and began our Wiki group project. Never hearing abot Wiki until this class, I have again discovered a tool that will one day be very useful in my classroom. As we have learned, Wiki allows its users to alter the pages that we have created. I thought that this would be useful in the classroom in the sense that it will motivate for greater teamwork in the classroom. For an example, the students have an essay due and instead of wasting all the paper of printing dozens of rough copies in order to participate in peer reviews, this can be done online. Each student posts thier essay on the assigned day. Then the teacher assigns each student to another student's essay in order to read and complete a peer review. This can be a week's process where multiple student reviews can be completed before the final copy is handed in. The best part is that the students and the teacher can visually see what has been changed and determine if the change was appropriate or not.

The article that we read this week was very interesting in its discussion regarding the Digital Divide. I enjoyed this article, especially growing up in a community where I had never considered the economic issues accompanying the access of technology. I have grown up in a house where I was lucky to have my own computer therefore I had constant access to the Internet as well as additional activities to assist with my learning. Through "playing around" on the computer I was able to develop computer skills that many other children were unable to develop due to their lack of access to a computer. Though we are in the midst of a technology age, teachers must realize that there is a digital divide. In order to make changes teachers must give his or her students the access to computer use. What I had not realized until reading this article is the use of computer labs as more of an obstacle as compared to an advantage. In a 5th grade classroom that I had visited last week I overheard the teacher explaining to the students that they had to put off certain assignments because the computer lab is booked for the next week. The limited use of these labs do not assist in making technology a part of the learning as teachers we should be doing. This is because it is only the students that are not familiar with computer use that fall behind. The main point of the article is making sure that all students are benefiting from the technology use within the classroom, not just a select few.

EDUC 422 Blog 7

The article that we read for this week was about the use of the Internet as an important resource, not only for teachers, but also for students. The article brought back memories of a past assignment completed within this class where we learned more about how to properly use the Yahoo search engine. The article touched on two important points in knowing how to use search engines. First, (this not only pertains to students, but great for everyone to know when using a search engine), we must choose our search engine wisely. Until this article, I had no idea that different search engines revealed different results. Prior to reading this article, I thought I should choose a search engine based on its visual appearance and how I preferred to view information. Secondly, the article mentioned how the students also need to know how to construct a search statement properly. This resembled the "4 Nets for Better Searching" assignment as I had mentioned above. That assignment had taught me more about how the search engine "reads" what I type in each box and what kind of results I should be expecting. The article touched on the Internet Directories which are maintained by universities and libraries and often known as having high quality when it comes to evaluating them. The Internet Directories located on the Cal State San Marcos Library Website have recently been very valuable because I am currently in the process of completing a research paper for one of my other classes. Lastly the article also mentioned the importance of checking out the site's sponsors to find out where this information has come from and whether who is being referenced is credible or not. In the end the article was very informative revealing the Internet as a valuable tool, but only if it is being used properly.

EDUC 422 Blog #6

As a teacher, this site would be very useful in the sense that it directs you to other links that offer information about technology resources as well as ratings as to how they are expected to perform (or maybe not perform) in the classroom. The links offer information such as whether it is easy to use, designed for child use, and both educational and entertaining. As a teacher, especially one who is not so familiar with technology use, this site is very beneficial. There was one link that even listed questions that the district and also teachers would have when considering a specific technology program in the classroom, which is also great for those teachers who don't even know where to start! I would definitely use the links on this site in order to help in choosing the technology programs that I would use in my classroom. Often when buying a program (without already talking to someone who has used it or reading any reviews about it), there is a 50/50 chance that the material will be of proper use in your classroom. Having a subscription to one of the websites with those technology reviews eliminates the problem right there. Therefore it is more guaranteed that the money spent will be put to a good cause as compared to a gamble. Knowing that teachers are given very little money to spend on classroom supplies it is only logical that teachers subscribe to these technology resources.

EDUC 422 Blog #5

This week we learned about PowerPoint and how it is a successful tool to use within the classroom. A few important aspects that were vital to this weeks discussion were the do's and don'ts of PowerPoint. I hate to admit it but I am guilty of a few of the don'ts, and from now on nobody else needs to know that information. For and example, using too many words on one slide, or even using too many slides altogether. As we already know, PowerPoint holds an important part within the classroom. As a teacher PowerPoint may act as a guide to both the material that will be discussed at that time, but also to keep the students engaged in the material. As discussed in class, teachers have the opportunity to use PowerPoint in multiple ways. A mode for active learning was revealed through the Jeopardy game. Also teachers can use it as a slide show in a science class for an example, in order to show animals who live in certain environments. Therefore the students are able to keep interest during instruction. That I believe is a great example of the benefits of PowerPoint for students. Therefore my use of PowerPoint would be to keep the teacher and student together (on the same page) during instruction.

Blooms taxonomy links were very interesting in the sense that they broke down learning into so many different parts. Included are knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Each new part (as I had listed above), goes into a deeper relationship between learner and the material learned. A statistic that caught my attention was regarding testing. "Bloom found that over 95 % of the test questions students encounter require them to think only at the lowest possible level...the recall of information" (Taxonomy 2). WOW! Though this statistic is surprisingly high, as I think back into my memories of test taking just recalling information seems to be the basis of testing. Memorize it for the test...move on to the next subject and never visit that topic again. With that being so common as well as the combination of constant testing for"No Child Left Behind" it seems that students have too much pressure and not enough time to do anything deeper than just recalling information. With more time spent on instruction, I feel that there is a greater chance that students will reach higher levels in Bloom's Taxonomy.

EDUC 422 Blog #4

The article that we read this week was interesting because to me technology was used throughout the entire learning process. It was first used in order to collect data during the field trip which allowed for the data to be more precise and organized as compared to recording data by hand. Then it was interesting to read after the data was collected that technology was used in order to stimulate greater growth within the subject and how it is related to the data. Through what the article called "Casual Mapping" the students were to first develop possible hypothesises as to why the data turned out the way it did. To do this they used both the learned classroom knowledge along with the process of casual mapping for better organization. Casual mapping reminded me of the program that we were introduced to in class this week called "Inspiration." After reading about a similar learning method and having the opportunity to try it out first hand I really believe that this program is ideal for the classroom. It gives the students an opportunity to be creative (even when it comes to boring science data), but also allows for them to be able to go back and change their mistakes as many times as they would like. As a student I would have enjoyed this program in the classroom, especially being a visual learner. Therefore I would most likely even benefit if I used the mapping today in college in order to organize and brainstorm thoughts for a research paper for an example. It would be much more efficient than wasting all those sheets of paper!

EDUC Blog 3

The assigned reading for this week was very interesting. I agree with the importance of including technology within the classroom as an additional method of making both the learning and the teaching process much more successful. Until this article I had really only considered technology as a greater advantage for students, (with them growing up using technology and expecting to be using it in school). Though it is also a major advantage for teachers. The article referred to the use of technology in a "multi-aged" classroom. I am currently working in a classroom with a fifth grade teacher who has had her students now for the second time. (She had taught a fourth/fifith combination class last year and now is teaching those fourth graders who are now fifth graders.) I was unsure if I agreed with the use of combination classes until speaking with her. The students in her class have a better relationship with both the teacher and their fellow peers in the sense that they have had the opportunity to spend more time together. Therefore a stronger relationship is developed as well as creating a more comfortable environment where the student feels more at ease to ask questions or speak with the teacher with more personal issues.

EDUC 422 Blog #2

This week's class was very interesting because I was able to learn more about useful tools in order to use for both my future teaching career, but also today to assist in my preparation for my career. I had not even realized, (even though I primarily use Yahoo as my choice of search engine), that these resources were right at my fingertips! The Yahoo Groups was an essential tool in which we learned for an example can assist in finding lesson plans in the future that have worked for other teachers and are willing to share their successful findings, (especially during the first and most chaotic years of teaching). Another tool that we learned about was the Yahoo Briefcase which will also assist in "making life a little easier" as a teacher. Not only did I learn that this tool creates for better organization, but also a way for the parents of my future students to be able to feel like they have a greater involvement in their child's educational journey throughout my class. Though it was interesting learning about these tools that I will be excited to use in the near future, the most helpful piece of information learned this week was regarding successful web searches. Currently a college student, it was no surprise that I felt this was the most informative piece of information learned this week. (I'm sure it is because I can use this information immediately, as I am in the process of preparing research for a paper in one of my other courses.) Lastly, the Netiquette article that we read and discussed during class brought to my attention that there are many things that I should know when using e-mail. I now know that understanding appropriate conversation within e-mail is just as important as within face-to-face conversation! I had never considered Netiquette, but with everything becoming more technology-based it is necessary.

The article assigned for homework was very interesting. I think that it is a common understanding that technology is important to include within the curriculum because it acts as another resource to further the learning process. The article also mentions the importance of technology as a way of learning through experience. The example mentioned was very interesting because as I recall back to my own childhood my parents were firm believers in my sisters and I spending the majority of our "playtime" outside and very rare were we allowed to watch television. Therefore as young children, (before we were old enough to begin school), we learned from experience and that was through our "outside playtime." Though I have noticed that the children I have babysat spend their "playtime" on the computers in their home. The computer acts as a mode of their own experience through educational games and interaction on the computer. In the end, with technology already playing a major role in their lives, children will most likely expect to use technology within their classroom experience.

EDUC 422 Blog 1

Hello Everyone! Although I have not had much opportunity to work inside the classrooms, I know there are many ways that technology has played a major role in assisting with learning. The Internet for example has played a major role in extending learning and education further. Especially within my college education, I have used the Internet in order to communicate with professors and fellow students, complete classes, and develop research. I have also used the Internet in order to further develop knowledge that I had learned in class or strengthen subject areas, as a tutor would, where I was not as confident. The computer has also played a major role within different methods of learning. Being a visual learner, hours of only lecture sometimes makes it difficult to grasp the concept instructed. Professors have the opportunity with the computer to use different teaching techniques, as simple as PowerPoint, in order to involve all different types of learners. As a future teacher I know that having the ability to reach out to each student as individuals (who each have different successful learning methods) is important to the teaching and learning process. Lastly having the opportunity to own a laptop is ideal for successful education in the sense that you can carry with you such a resourceful accessory.

This week I learned that technology is constantly changing and it is my responsibility to continue my own personal knowledge in order to keep up. I know that I need to develop greater confidence in my own computer knowledge especially before I become a teacher. As Professor McCulloch had stated during class, “children are growing up with technology therefore they will expect to use it in the classroom and throughout their learning experience!”