Final -Blog Post

EME2040 was a wonderful class full of technology lessons and learning how to be a good teacher. It educated me more than I thought it would. I learned how to integrate technology into the classroom as well as many other helpful websites to use as a teacher. Not only was this class education but it was also fun. We had more than many opportunities to work in groups which allowed me to befriend and get to know my classmates. We also did activities like geocaching which was a very fun activity to do with my classmates and learn GPS skills as well as communication and technology. Textbook: In EME 2040 we used a textbook for our weekly blog posts. Other than the blog post assignment I didn’t find myself using the book at all. I felt I barely even used the book for the assignment. This doesn’t mean that the book is not up to standards. I just believe that my professor had the knowledge to teach the class materials and assignments without needing that extra assistance from a textbook. In my opinion one of the signs of a good teacher is knowledge on the subject being taught. Discussions: During this semester we did numerous discussion posts regarding different topics from that week’s class and its lesson. One that comes to mind was a discussion post about legal and ethical materials and action in the technology of the classroom such as not giving proper credit to a photographer, author, publisher, or any other person’s activities being used without credit. Not to mention that the study on legality and ethics in this class was one of the classroom objectives. My favorite discussion post was one about accommodating someone with a disability in class. I chose to write about a deaf student. I enjoyed this very much because I know American Sign Language and enjoy speaking in sign as well as the personal relation to someone heard of hearing so I was able to talk about real life examples that my sister went through. Activities and Assignments: One of my favorite assignments in class was making a teachers web page. We got to create a fake personality as if we were teachers and create a web page for our students and their parents to use throughout the year. It brought me back to my childhood when I would play pretend games of school and I would be the teacher. Not only was the assignment fun but it covered many of the learning objectives for the semester such as: “The students will create a portfolio with Samples reflecting ways technology can support classroom management, administration, and teaching in a K-12 classroom.” (syllabus, doc)


Technology in the Classroom: Digital Media Resources: Technology in the Classroom: Digital Media. (n.d.). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbVKPhVCRFI

Chapter 12

Stages of Technology Integration: In this section I learned how to integrate technology into a class better. I didn’t realize there were so many steps. I think this explained steps well and made it easy to understand. I didn’t realize there were so many steps to putting technology into a classroom I always just thought you introduce it and use it.

Technology Integration Issues: I had no clue that there could be problems when using technology in class, well not these specific problems listed.  Some teachers still don’t agree it using technology in classrooms or they don’t feel they have the knowledge to do it. Technology in the classroom is a great idea and should be used every day.

One-to-one Laptop Computing: this is said to reduce digital inequalities by giving each student a computer. This also helps those who are not fortunate enough to have a computer at home for assignments. I think this is a fantastic concept sadly not ever school can afford this.

 <a class="embedly-card" href="https://www.canva.com/design/DABitP9zgaI/tkhlXQ0DmMZploLQTjEkmw/view?&utm_content=DABitP9zgaI&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=sharebutton&cc_from_uid=UABitEtfPOE">Beginner's Challenge - Photo Collage by Taylor Hardel</a>
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Resources:
 Canva by Taylor Hardel
Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon

Chapter 4

Teaching Goals, Methods, and Procedures (How to Teach): this section talked about different tools you can use to teach classes or create assignments for your students. I thought all the tools and sources are great or teachers and students. There was so many tools on the list that I never thought to use before as a future teacher I see myself using these tools. Student Learning Objects: I liked this section because it explained learning objectives in a simple and clear way. It makes it easy to understand and it makes it easy to explain to students. Student Performance Rubrics: This section was helpful on how to grade your students work as well as how to determine if the assignment is to the standards or not. It made me think of things to look for when grading that I wouldn’t have thought of before.
Resources: Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon
 Tagxedo by Taylor Hardel
 

Chapter 11

Teaching Practices: In this section I learned about the different ways teachers can allow students to choose their own themes and goals. I didn’t realize there was a teaching practice that was so student oriented and allowed students to take so much responsibility for classroom rules and regulations. I was unaware of this before reading this chapter. Advantages and Disadvantages of Digital Portfolios: Digital portfolios are similar to blogs. I think that they are great for many reasons and a classroom tool that should be used more often. However before reading this chapter I didn’t think of the disadvantages of digital portfolios. They can take away from the academic learning students need because they take lots of time and skills and usually don’t receive the audience they hope for. Elements of Teacher Portfolios: I think teacher portfolios are a good idea however I don’t think that they are used and viewed as often as they would like. Many teachers from my previous years of school have has portfolios but they were also very bad about updates. Also many students didn’t care to view the site and didn’t use it as a reference.
Resources: Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon
lino by Taylor Hardel

Chapter 6

Taking Virtual Field Trips: before reading this chapter I had never hear of virtual field trips. As a child I loved field trips. To me they were the best days of school. However with costs of everything rising and the advanced technologies I am not surprised that virtual field trips exist. This is a way to make sure every student in class has the chance to be involved, it doesn’t require leaving school campus, but is still a fun activity students can look forwards to. I am now interested and I am going to try find a virtual field trip can take myself. Interactive Videoconferencing: this is an amazing tool in schools these days. They can help with so many problems. If a child is out sick and can’t make it they could video conference and still learn the lessons for that day. They also can video conference in people from other locations for speakers, even people all around the world. This is just another fantastic way technology in the classroom can be a helpful and awesome resource. Online Learning and Virtual Schools: virtual schools are become a new and highly popular form of school. Students can get their education form the comfort of their own home. This also doesn’t require a parent to be a homeschooler either. This works well for students who need the quiet, students who work best alone, and those who just choose to stay at home for schooling. It’s a new resource that is rising in popularity and in my opinion will even make its way into public and private schools more and more. Resources: Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon. NOVA Online | Secrets of Easter Island | Explore the Island

Chapter 9

Instructional Technologies in 2 Classrooms: this section of Chapter Nine focused on non-computer and computer technologies.  I didn’t know that a chalk board and white board were considered non-computer technology. But I did know projections and televisions are non-computer. However interactive whiteboards, power point, and movie maker are computer based technologies

 Multimedia Tools for Teaching and Learning: this chapter as a whole was a lot of information that I already knew about.  For example students can use presentation tools, group interactive projects or websites, and experimenting to learn and involve technology.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Power-Point: I use PowerPoint often for school assignments and I think it is a wonderful tool. However I never seem to think of the disadvantages that power point can have. Its nice because its visual, easy to use, and you can use pictures, videos, or charts with your text. However it’s a disadvantage because students often space out during lecture, teachers spend a lot of time making them, and you can easily get off topic.  

Resources:
Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Chapter 10

Differentiated Instruction: This section talked about probability and fun new ways to get students involved while learning the concepts. I really liked the methods of teaching the book used. They used probability of 100 coin tosses and 100 dice rolls. I remember doing this while I was in school and loved finding the different outcomes and how my probability was different from the classes. Another suggestion was to perform a skit based off a daily life experience that deals with probability. I thought this was such a fun idea that would get students involved and up and moving.

Universal Design: This section talked about how to help all students using one design or method of work. They touched on three types of Universal Design: representation, expression, and engagement. I think these are all great ways for students to learn and incorporate into their learning. It can help them get their points across and allow them to engage and work with their peers.

Handheld Calculator: this section just talked about different types of calculators. I have used three of the four calculators they listed and actually owned these three types. Basic calculators were used often in elementary school and however I don’t own one there is one built in my phone so I always have one. Then scientific and graphing calculators were discussed. I still currently own and use these types of calculators. I think they are a great resource for students and come in handy in math class. 

resources: 

Maloy, R. (2011). Transforming learning with new technologies. Boston: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.

Chapter 10 | FlipQuiz