ILP “Participation” – FSU DIGITECH

I attended DIGITECH on March 30, 2016 at the Turnbull Conference Center.
I have attended this event every year that I've been at Florida State so far, and I volunteered at it last year. It is a truly wonderful event that allows students to showcase their ideas and inventions.

While I was there I watched a few of the Shark Tank presentations. This is where students pitch ideas to potential investors. It went on for a couple of hours, and the winner is awarded $1000. This event also allows for students to get hands on experience with new tech products. They had virtual reality equipment available to test out, 3D printers, along with quite a few other games and devices. It was a really fun and exciting event, with a lot of good interaction between students, teachers, and potential employers.

This link has more information about the guest speaker and awards ceremony!
http://digitech.fsu.edu/2016/

ILP “Participation” – Webinar: Choose the Right Adaptive Math Software – a Buyer’s Guide

This webinar took place on March, 31, 2016 from 1 - 2 pm.
Host: Dan Angeloro
Event Number: 643 594 714

New math standards are based on focus, coherence and rigor. Today's software is designed to adjust each students learning path to cater to their individual learning styles. These new math standards really focus on a personalized learning experience.

In 2010 the main focus was professional learning communities. Teachers need to plan together and collaborate. In 2012 the main focus was guaranteed curriculum. Importance was stressed on student engagement. In 2014 the main focus became personalization of the students education experience, and this is the model we follow today.

Technology rich education does not always replace face-to-face. Teachers should remain at the center of implementation. They plan content and learning experiences, manage the classroom, and use data to determine future learning experiences.

Adaptive learning is adapting in and in between lessons. Moving beyond the pace of learning, an adjustment that caters to the individual student. Blended learning is online and in classroom. The online learning is integrated into the lesson. The teaching is more based on the individual's level, not the grade level.

Implementation is key. These standards are really trying to change the way in which teachers are currently teaching math. Focusing on collaboration between students and teachers.

Dreambox is a game changer. It provides millions of individual learning paths.

Post #10

The PowerPoint Interaction assignment is definitely my favorite assignment we have done so far. It was the first to really teach me new and interactive ways to work with PowerPoint. When starting this class, I had no idea about all the options PowerPoint had to offer. PowerPoint is a very powerful learning tool. Linking between slides adds a whole new world to my previous knowledge of what PowerPoint was capable of. You can really make a complex PowerPoint when you add in the looping, linking, and buttons. I can use this technology to make all kinds of quizzes and games in my real classroom one day. Adding in interesting and interactive content can help keep the student interested and engaged in the lesson. It is a much more entertaining alternative to simply reading off slides.

I would use Data Collection tools in middle school and higher grade levels. In my own classroom, I would set up surveys on Google forms after each major assignment. I would ask the students how satisfied they were with their own performance on the assignment, if they thought I presented the assignment information in a good manner, and if they had any advice on how to make the assignment better. I would allow for the students to type written responses to these questions. This will allow me to get valuable feedback about the assignment, and learn more about my students and their learning styles.

I would like to learn more about Excel. Excel is a very powerful tool inside and outside of the classroom setting. Excel can be used to collect and analyze data. I would like to learn how to use all the different tools it has to offer, and learn how to apply them in real jobs. Research and data collection is extremely important in our constantly growing and changing society. Research is completely necessary for businesses and professionals to make decisions, and it is an important skill to have in today’s tech world.  

I am currently an ICT major here at FSU. So I already have many technology skills under my belt. I will never stop learning new things because technology is always advancing and evolving. I plan on getting a masters in Instructional Design to learn how to implement technology into learning systems. This will give me much more technology knowledge, in many different areas. I am excited for what the rest of my college career has to offer, and I look forward to applying it in the real world.

Post #9

The “flipped classroom” is an educational model in which the typical lecture and homework elements of a course are reversed. Short video lectures are viewed by students at home before the class session, and  in-class time is devoted to exercises, projects, or discussions. This keeps the student engaged while in class. The instructor will create such lectures and post them online. Students watching videos before coming to class to learn the topic will get a head start on understanding the material. The value of a flipped class is in the re-purposing of class time into a workshop where students can inquire about lecture content, test their skills in applying knowledge, and interact with one another in hands-on activities.

I would use a blog for my professional development. Twitter is probably the best, and most used, blog for teachers. Blogs can be used to read other teachers ideas for the classroom. Traditionally teachers would have meetings on professional development, but now all the information you could ever ask for is right at the teachers desktop. As a teacher, I would search other teachers’ blogs to get ideas on classroom management, lesson plans, and even classroom decoration ideas. The best way to learn is to see what other teachers are doing in real classrooms. This method of learning is also completely free of charge.

www.twitter.com

When starting this class, I had no idea all of the options PowerPoint had to offer. Linking between slides adds a whole new world to my previous knowledge of what PowerPoint was capable of. You can really make a complex PowerPoint when you add in the looping, linking, and buttons. I can use this technology to make all kinds of quizzes and games in my real classroom one day. It is a much more entertaining alternative to a regular boring slideshow. Adding in ways to make the PowerPoint interactive with the user can really help get the student interested in the given topic.

Post #8

The smart boards hold the biggest promise for education. They are perfect for any type of lesson. They take the white board to a whole nother level adding in much more interactive software. Students can virtually erase and write, search the internet, and even play games. Smart boards have their own programs that can be accessed for free. Things like lesson plans, and smart technologies can all be accessed for free with the smart board. Smart boards provide interactive learning to the classroom.

Virtual reality should definitely be implemented in the classroom. It should be used to teach students about events and places that they otherwise could not gain access to. For example, you could have a virtual reality program where the student puts on the goggles and is immersed in a historical event. It could be used for a situation that is too dangerous to expose the student to in real life. You could place the child in a scene of snakes, sharks, or spiders to be able to “see” them up close without the possible harm.

The digital divide is the gap between the people who have access to technology and those who don’t. Not everyone owns and computer and has internet connection. Although it may seem like in the US everyone has access to these technologies, but that is not the case. Many families do not own computers, and if they do they cannot afford internet or other complimentary products. Students without at home computers can fall behind, and miss out on important information and communication within the classroom. In my own classroom, I would educate my students on all of the options they have to gain access to computers. The school library, public library, and my own classroom will have computers that students can access. I am definitely on the wired side of the digital divide. My phone and personal laptop keep me constantly connected.

Post #7

 This website is cheerful and bright, perfect for the subject matter. Hangout is a music festival held on the beach in May, so it is important for the website to convey happiness and fun times with friends. The simple style is perfect for this site, and it gets the message across quickly. Everything one needs to know about this festival is at the top of the page. Tickets, lineup, and transportation information. The colors in this website are exactly the colors you would expect to see at the beach. Bright, happy colors including blue, yellow, and purple. It has great contrast. There are pictures of previous years at the festival, which really convey how much fun this festival is, and how wonderful the atmosphere is. The font used is very different and bold, that makes it stand out from the background and catch your eye. Overall, this is a great layout. It speaks to the target audience by its choice of color, images, and layout. 

http://hangoutmusicfest.com/

The Americans with Disabilities Act is a law that makes it illegal to discriminate against anyone on basis of disability. Adaptive technologies are technologies that help people with disabilities more effectively use computing equipment. People with disabilities require different input and output devices in order to use a computer. For example, one can use voice recognition software to replace typing input into the keyboard. Text-to-speech software will read text aloud for users that are vision impaired. The biggest challenge in implementing these adaptive technologies is the number of students each with individual disabilities. As a teacher I will have to cater to the needs of each student individually, and make sure they have access to the same materials as every other student in the classroom.

This site made me realize how easy building a website can be. Weebly made it really simple to add and edit the websites content. It was easy to choose a layout and organize all of my pages. I think I would definitely use Weebly as a teacher. This website is a great platform for a class website, it allows me to publish all necessary information for a class. It allows me to insert links, embed calendars, and edit content with ease. I could improve my website in a real classroom situation because I would have real content.

http://millerhayden95.weebly.com/

Post #6

I googled “school website class page” and chose one of the first few links that brought me to Stevenson School’s online site. It is a PK-8 school. On this school’s website there are sub-sections for parents and students. The parent section includes an FAQ link, forms, schedules, emergency procedures, grades, payment methods, parent-teacher conference scheduling, and many other sources of information a parent would like to access for/about their child. The student section includes a link to the bookstore, class login, grades, the school newspaper, school policies, and activities. Many of these categories overlap between the student and parent sections because they are valuable for both.

http://www.stevensonschool.org/community/parents/classPK8/index.aspx

In my own classroom I will use technology to make all tasks more efficient. Contacting parents will be much easier using email than sending physical newsletters and notes home with the students. Communication with parents is key to keeping students on top of assignments and homework. I will also have a class website/blog to keep my students updated on upcoming assignments, current lessons and slides, and homework help links. The students will be able to communicate with each other and with me about all things class related, and it will of course be monitored for inappropriate content by myself.

I think this assignment is really useful for any person, not just educators. Resource evaluation is necessary for all topics because it is important to know if your source is credible and accurate before you rely on its information as true. I liked that we were able to create our own categories, but the ones listed in your example were all critical to evaluations. In order to teach something to your students you must make sure it is fully credible, accurate, and current so you do not give them false information. Next time I would be a little more specific in each question asked, and make sure I included a couple more questions per category.

http://millerhayden95.pbworks.com/w/page/105413355/Blank%20Evaluation%20Form

Post #5

Web 1.0 technologies are no longer useful in the classroom because they only have static content. Web 2.0 technologies are more sophisticated, and allow users to interact and share with each other. YouTube is a really useful Web 2.0 technology because it can be used to show students visual content related to the current topic. YouTube houses videos from countless different topics. Teachers can find and share videos for any type of lesson, and for every age level. A computer, internet connection, and projector equipment are necessary to be able to show the entire class the content.

Diigo is an extremely useful Web 2.0 technology that can easily be incorporated into the classroom. I had not heard of it until listening to the podcast for this lesson. The instructor can have their students all make accounts on the site. Diigo is a social bookmarking and annotation tool. It can be used to share resources found online. Students can collectively take notes directly on an article. Students (and teachers) can all post on an article individually with questions and comments. This can be used to foster conversation between students and the teacher. It is a great resource for the classroom, I would use it for grades 6 and up.

https://www.diigo.com/

I really enjoyed this concept mapping assignment. I have never used a software that creates maps and charts. I found it really easy to use, and definitely applicable to the classroom setting. A study guide shouldn’t have a word for word description of the topic, but rather an outline for easy reading. A flow chart is perfect for legibility and memorization. Quick facts are easier to remember than paragraphs of information, and my study guide would be a good resource for my students to study with. If I were to improve my submission, I would include more images to make it more visually appealing. 

Post #4

I chose standard SC.5.E.5.3, distinguish among the following objects of the Solar System -- Sun, planets, moons, asteroids, comets -- and identify Earth's position in it. My resource is a quiz game about the solar system, located on NASA’s website. It asks questions about all the different objects in the solar system, so it would be good to use in the classroom. I could have the students pair up to work on the quiz game together. It would keep the students entertained as well as learning the standard. http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/kidsclub/flash/games/levelfive/KC_Solar_System.html#.Vr88TfkrLIV

I usually use the FSU online library to do my research for classes. Now that I know about google scholar it will be easier to find good peer reviewed articles. Before I would simply google my topic and search for articles, and I would never really know if the articles were peer reviewed or acceptable for use in my school assignments. Now I have a much more efficient way to search for and cite my sources. I also now acquire smarter searching skills that will allow me to find articles relating to my topic much quicker and easier.

This web hunt assignment taught me all of the ways to conduct a better google search. Before I always simply type in what I want to search for, word for word. Now I have the power to make my searches much more specific, therefore saving time and energy searching for the right article. Using the + and – really helps narrow the search results to everything relevant to my topic. The quotation marks around string can also help retrieve better search results. I used them around names and certain phrases. It surprised me how different search results could be with slight modifications to what I searched. 

Post #3

I feel comfortable with most of the ELA standards. I am an ICT major so I have been working with these technologies for years, but this class is really helping me understand how to use these technology skills in a classroom setting. Multimedia literature is one I’m the most comfortable with. This is the incorporation of graphics, videos, and audio into the text to facilitate a better understanding of the information. I am quite knowledgeable in the science and technology subjects, but I could use a better understanding of language arts and history.

In my own classroom I hope to incorporate a lot of different technologies into the lessons. One would be the Smart Board because it’s a great tool to add interest to the information and keep the students engaged. I would definitely have my students use Microsoft word and PowerPoint for assignments and creating presentations. I would use google plus to keep in contact with all my students. I would have a Google + community for each class, for students to post questions and share any course related information. The students must be well informed on digital citizenship in order to communicate effectively on these online platforms. Everything posted will be monitored by me, and cannot ever be inappropriate or offensive. This can be used with grades middle school and up.

I really enjoyed the newsletter assignment. Before completing it, I would have always thought of a take home parent newsletter in a physical form. With all of the technology we possess in this age it would be much simpler and more effective to either email all of the parents this newsletter, or even set up a class blog that the students and parents could have access to. This would allow me to include an email link to my personal email, and provide links to any other information related to the class. MY assignment would have been more detailed if this was in an actual classroom setting because I would have real content for a real class.  

Post #2

I use Microsoft word constantly as a college student. Word has great tools for writing papers and even short assignments like this blog post. It has spelling and grammar check, which checks over my writing for small errors. I have to save my assignments as docx. in Word in order to submit them to Blackboard. My professors also use word to create these assignments for us. Word is the most widely used word processor, and the file format is required for many assignment submissions.  Word can be used to create test and quizzes for students as well, like we did in Assignment 3.

The Fair Use policy allows the use of copyrighted material for non-profit and educational purposes. Most school assignments fall under the category of education, but it is important to be aware of copyright laws for specific media and for specific purposes. Students must learn from an early age how important it is not to steal others work, and always properly cite sources. Media literacy is important now more than ever. A student must possess media skills in order to access and use articles for information related to their project. As a teacher I would always make sure to keep my students informed on the fair use policy and copyright rules. Wrongful use of a copyrighted in or outside of the classroom is unacceptable.

Social media use has greatly expanded over the last few years. Twitter is a great platform to use for communication between students and teachers. Twitter is extremely easy to use and keep up with others profiles and posts. Direct messaging can be used for independent conversations, while replying to tweets and retweeting can be used so that all other students can read the conversation as well. It can be used as a great learning and communication tool in the classroom. Blogs can be used in the exact same way. Both are good platforms to foster discussion and learning. 

Twitter

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Post #1

The ability to use technology is a basic essential skill in today’s society. Our educators must possess skills in technology so that they can educate our youth with skills in technology. Computers make teacher to student communication much easier and more efficient. The teacher can put grades online so that the student can have quicker access and feedback. Word processing software is essential to the classroom. It is vital for students and teachers to be able to type and format writing for assignments, making lesson plans, or communication purposes. Computers also make communication between the teachers and parents much easier. This can be through email, a class blog or website, or any other real-time communication platform.

The number one thing I will use my computer for is presentations to go along with my lessons/lectures. A large majority of students are visual learners, so it is important to have graphics and videos to help explain my point. Technology can be incorporated to suite all other learning styles as well. Technology can help interest and motivate the students to learn and be involved in the lesson. I would like to incorporate different online podcasts for students to watch, and even games to help to learn and study. In this class I hope to learn how to efficiently incorporate technology in the classroom. I want to learn about all the different resources that are available.

A digital native is someone who doesn’t remember a time before technology, and it consumes a large part of their life. I believe there is a huge gap between digital natives and digital immigrants. One big difference I have noticed is that my generation, aka a digital native, is much more likely to give up personal information on the internet. We trust technology because it has been around us our entire lives. The generation behind us is even more dependent on technology. Children are getting phones and tables younger and younger, and they can learn how to use new technologies very quickly. With this being true, technology is still constantly changing and evolving. Each age group must learn the new technologies at the same time, so no age group is at a disadvantage. I assume that there will be some gaps in the technology myself and my students may use in the future, but it is my job to keep up to date with new technologies, and since I was also a “digital native” this gap will not be as clear as the gap between me and my current teachers. 

I am currently a Junior ICT major, so I have a lot of previous technology experience. I have taken web design classes and Photoshop in high school. At FSU I have taken many coding language classes, more web design, photo editing, and various information classes. I am already fluent in Microsoft Office, so this class should not be a huge challenge for me.

In this class I hope to learn how to use my vast technology experience in an education setting. This is my first education course of any kind and I am excited to see all the things I am to learn in this course. I have been taught Microsoft office before, but it has been updated since then, so I’m sure I will learn new skills.

I am an extremely visual learner. I knew this before completing the questionnaire, but I didn't realize there were other learning styles besides visual/verbal. I was pretty neutral on the other three categories.