For our latest assignment, I read the Michigan Merit Curriculum Online Experience Guideline Companion Document. This helped me learn about online learning and it's usefulness in my classroom.
One of the technologies that is an online experience that I'd like to use with my students would be a videocast/podcast. What I'd like to do is begin to tape my lectures and then upload them to my class website so students can download links to what I talked about in class. This could be very helpful to students who miss my class - or to students who just want to hear everything again. I think that lecture is something that kids either get or they don't - and it's difficult to make up - even if the students have the notes. Missing out on stories, anecdotes and information cant be made up by just copying down another student's notes.
What's great about video or podcasts is that it would help me teach just about any lesson. If I were able to record instruction, students would be able to play it back, or download it anywhere
I think there are many teaching strategies that you could use - and they all differ depending on what online technology you use. If you create a podcast, you could provide guided notes. If you had a webquest, you could provide the students with questions to answer. If I used a blog, I could have my students comment on it, and read the posts of others and agree or disagree. The possibilities are limitless, like the technologies that are available.
I think some technologies that may be harder to use would be Moodle and Blackboard. At our school, we have issues with large sites and download times aren't too fast. I hate getting involved with programs that make students log in. It always seems to take forever.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Wiki's!
In our latest session, we learned about Wikis. For this unit, I made a wiki, and also added something to wikipedia.
Here are some examples of things that I have done in this session.
1.) Create a wiki - http://www.nmssocialstudies7.wikispaces.com/
2.) Added NMS to Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Middle_School
Here are some examples of things that I have done in this session.
1.) Create a wiki - http://www.nmssocialstudies7.wikispaces.com/
2.) Added NMS to Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Middle_School
Thursday, February 10, 2011
UDL LAB
I just finished learning about the UDL Lab, which enlightens teachers to potential barriers in their classroom. There are many things you might not think of when creating a lesson. The lesson might be instructional, engaging, and hammer home benchmarks, but there still might be problems with it.
Using the UDL checklist, educators are able to identify barriers in their instruction and provide means around them. Below are a list of barriers, and what I've done to take them out of my plans.
I've inserted it as a picture to provide for best readability.
Using the UDL checklist, educators are able to identify barriers in their instruction and provide means around them. Below are a list of barriers, and what I've done to take them out of my plans.
I've inserted it as a picture to provide for best readability.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Evaluating Resources on MERLOT
The web resource that I found on MERLOT that I could use in my classroom is a neat website on the Reformation. It can be found HERE. This site has a lot of information that would be very useful to my students. It is also a good example of a STAIR.
I will now evaluate the site using the same evaluation criteria as MERLOT uses.
Quality of Content:
Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes, the software (website) gives correct information to teach students about the Reformation.
Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes, the website is geared to teaching students about the importance of the Renaissance.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
This resource could be used for an introduction, review or webquest. Students could use this in the Explanation phase, to learn the information. They could also use this in the Practice phase to test their knowledge, or in the Applying phase - and use the information to formulate an essay.
What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
Students will be able to understand the power of the Catholic Church, and the struggle between the church and Martin Luther during the Reformation. Students will be able to explain how the power and scope of the church changed during and after the Reformation.
What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)
The characteristics of the target learners can differ depending on which page being used. While students in middle school classes can find the information written at an appropriate level, there is also more in depth information that could be used in high school or college.
Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
The interactive-ness of the material allows students to make choices as to what they'd like to learn more about. It isn't fully interactive, but students are given a list of in depth information that the can learn more about. This allows the learner to tailor the site to their needs.
Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
This site would be very easy to use into my current curriculum and teaching methods. I could have the students go on a web quest, or I could use this as an additional link on my web site that would help them get additional information.
Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
This resource is limited in the ways that it can be used. It is mainly text. While it can be used reach some teaching and learning goals, it cannot reach all.
Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
Yes, it is very apparent the goal of the resource is to teach the Reformation.
Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
Yes, there is so much information on the website, and it is organized in such a good way, it would be easy to create good assignments using this resource.
Ease of Use:
Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
Yes, the site is visually appealing and easy to navigate. It may not be eye catching, but it is not hideous.
Does the user get trapped in the material, Can the user get lost easily in the material?
The site is easy to navigate and the user should find it easy to return to the most basic menu if they find that in their explanation for more knowledge they've dived too deep.
Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
The site does have a quiz, and provides a correct, or incorrect label, but it does not provide extensive feedback.
Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
The website does have a contact us, and help feature, but I would stop short of calling it tech support.
Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?
Yes, the site provides information in text and in pictures - both ways that are easy for students to understand.
Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?
It may not be as interactive and as exciting as some students would like, but it is more interesting and interactive than learning from a book.
I will now evaluate the site using the same evaluation criteria as MERLOT uses.
Quality of Content:
Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
Yes, the software (website) gives correct information to teach students about the Reformation.
Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
Yes, the website is geared to teaching students about the importance of the Renaissance.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
This resource could be used for an introduction, review or webquest. Students could use this in the Explanation phase, to learn the information. They could also use this in the Practice phase to test their knowledge, or in the Applying phase - and use the information to formulate an essay.
What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
Students will be able to understand the power of the Catholic Church, and the struggle between the church and Martin Luther during the Reformation. Students will be able to explain how the power and scope of the church changed during and after the Reformation.
What are the characteristics of the target learner(s)
The characteristics of the target learners can differ depending on which page being used. While students in middle school classes can find the information written at an appropriate level, there is also more in depth information that could be used in high school or college.
Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
The interactive-ness of the material allows students to make choices as to what they'd like to learn more about. It isn't fully interactive, but students are given a list of in depth information that the can learn more about. This allows the learner to tailor the site to their needs.
Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
This site would be very easy to use into my current curriculum and teaching methods. I could have the students go on a web quest, or I could use this as an additional link on my web site that would help them get additional information.
Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
This resource is limited in the ways that it can be used. It is mainly text. While it can be used reach some teaching and learning goals, it cannot reach all.
Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
Yes, it is very apparent the goal of the resource is to teach the Reformation.
Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
Yes, there is so much information on the website, and it is organized in such a good way, it would be easy to create good assignments using this resource.
Ease of Use:
Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
Yes, the site is visually appealing and easy to navigate. It may not be eye catching, but it is not hideous.
Does the user get trapped in the material, Can the user get lost easily in the material?
The site is easy to navigate and the user should find it easy to return to the most basic menu if they find that in their explanation for more knowledge they've dived too deep.
Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
The site does have a quiz, and provides a correct, or incorrect label, but it does not provide extensive feedback.
Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
The website does have a contact us, and help feature, but I would stop short of calling it tech support.
Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students?
Yes, the site provides information in text and in pictures - both ways that are easy for students to understand.
Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?
It may not be as interactive and as exciting as some students would like, but it is more interesting and interactive than learning from a book.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Learning Styles Blog Post
After reading about learning styles, I was able to sit and think about how I learn best. I think this is a difficult question because each of these learning styles are ways that I can learn. I was a little difficult for me to decide which learning style was best. After doing some research I settled on which learning style suited me best.
I feel that I align most closely with the Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence learning style. The most effective learning strategies that I understood, and helped me learn were stories and lectures that my teachers used. I read a lot, but I don't have great reading comprehension, or retention. But I remember details, stories and anecdotes from professors years back. I remember stories from history class in high school - and I seem to really enjoy lecture. I also like discussions, logical point by point debates, and I am a stickler on language and grammar. I found it interesting that when explaining this learning style, it said that many of the people with this style were teachers. Guess I'm in the right field!
There were a lot of learning strategies that I think were less effective when I was in school. I never really liked Bodily/Kinesthetic learning style. I do use some hands on activities, and I have learned by doing them, but I find it very frustrating. When approaching a difficult task, I would rather be taught how to do it, and explained. If this is done, I can then do what I need to do. I don't like being left to figure out an activity, even if it is hands on. I find it funny that it says people with this type of learning style have good balance and hand eye coordination. I think I'm a pretty clumsy person, and that might be a good reason why I don't like this learning style.
As a teacher, it's very difficult to identify each students best learning style. I think it's also tough to ask students how they learn best. I think students need to be older to be able to understand how they learn. If a teacher could identify each student's learning styles in a classroom, it would still be difficult to teach to specific styles. You'd simultaneously have to teach in 4-5 different ways. This is almost impossible, so there's a few things I do in my classroom to help students learn - even though I'm not hitting each style in class. First, I try to use different styles each day. I'm not going to lecture every day, and I'm not going to show movies each day either. By instructional diversity, I can teach in different ways and open up new ways to learn to students.
I also try segmented instruction in my classroom. I lecture, we read, we have group activities, we have discussions. If I can do all of that in my classroom in a day, we've covered a few separate learning styles.
Lastly, I try to teach to different learning styles by providing extra information for students. I have a class web page (I've used one before - now it's being re-created) and it has games, interactive quizzes, links to videos and charts. My website compiled information in different ways and allowed students an opportunity to use different learning styles - even if I can't teach in all of the styles, all of the time.
So as you can see, I think our focus should be to teach using a variety of styles, and provide additional information for students for them to learn in the best way possible.
I feel that I align most closely with the Verbal/Linguistic Intelligence learning style. The most effective learning strategies that I understood, and helped me learn were stories and lectures that my teachers used. I read a lot, but I don't have great reading comprehension, or retention. But I remember details, stories and anecdotes from professors years back. I remember stories from history class in high school - and I seem to really enjoy lecture. I also like discussions, logical point by point debates, and I am a stickler on language and grammar. I found it interesting that when explaining this learning style, it said that many of the people with this style were teachers. Guess I'm in the right field!
There were a lot of learning strategies that I think were less effective when I was in school. I never really liked Bodily/Kinesthetic learning style. I do use some hands on activities, and I have learned by doing them, but I find it very frustrating. When approaching a difficult task, I would rather be taught how to do it, and explained. If this is done, I can then do what I need to do. I don't like being left to figure out an activity, even if it is hands on. I find it funny that it says people with this type of learning style have good balance and hand eye coordination. I think I'm a pretty clumsy person, and that might be a good reason why I don't like this learning style.
As a teacher, it's very difficult to identify each students best learning style. I think it's also tough to ask students how they learn best. I think students need to be older to be able to understand how they learn. If a teacher could identify each student's learning styles in a classroom, it would still be difficult to teach to specific styles. You'd simultaneously have to teach in 4-5 different ways. This is almost impossible, so there's a few things I do in my classroom to help students learn - even though I'm not hitting each style in class. First, I try to use different styles each day. I'm not going to lecture every day, and I'm not going to show movies each day either. By instructional diversity, I can teach in different ways and open up new ways to learn to students.
I also try segmented instruction in my classroom. I lecture, we read, we have group activities, we have discussions. If I can do all of that in my classroom in a day, we've covered a few separate learning styles.
Lastly, I try to teach to different learning styles by providing extra information for students. I have a class web page (I've used one before - now it's being re-created) and it has games, interactive quizzes, links to videos and charts. My website compiled information in different ways and allowed students an opportunity to use different learning styles - even if I can't teach in all of the styles, all of the time.
So as you can see, I think our focus should be to teach using a variety of styles, and provide additional information for students for them to learn in the best way possible.
Creative Commons and Media Use Lab
Photo Attribution:
Original Image: Greece
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2351/2095019515_e1515b19a5_b.jpg
By Enggul
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial - No Derivs license.
Here is a picture of ancient ruins in Greece. There are many interesting things about ancient Greece that I talk about in my class. These ruins are part of them. There are many things that I can do with Creative Commons images like this. First, I could use them in my lectures or PowerPoints. I could also compile images like this that my students could use for reports. I do always have to make sure though that the licensing would allow my students to use them, and modify them if needed. Using these photos are a good way to bring far away places into the classroom. This makes it easy for students to make connections and to become active learners.
Here is a link to my Picasa album.
I only have one photo uploaded now, but I hope to add more later.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Personal Learning Reflection
As I take this class on educational technology, I think about all of the changes that I’ve witnesses as a student, in the realm of technology. When I started in school, there was no internet. Color printing was purely amazing, and we were tested on how to use a card catalogue. There are constant changes in technology – and it’s naïve to think that I have a grasp on it, or that I know everything there is to know.
Technology is always changing, always growing and evolving, and my goal is to stay on top of that change. Everyone has had the professor or teacher who doesn’t quite know how to use the machine that they are using. Whether it’s the professor that “Replies All” instead of forwarding an e-mail, or the teacher who can’t get the projector to work, my goal is to not be that teacher.
This is an evolving goal, something that I’ll always have to keep up with. The more I learn, the more I’m able to share with my students. By doing this, I can accomplish my second goal, which is to create a class that engages students in social studies and give them a hands on education where they can be active learners.
Chemistry class has labs, biology class has dissections. What does Social Studies have? Globes? How can I make this class fun and interesting? Technology. I want to learn all aspects of technology that will engage my students. I want to allow them to have all the resources available at the click of a mouse. It’s not about a “fun” class. I ‘d love for my class to be fun, but most of all, I want my students to learn. I want to make them interested in the subject matter, and I think the best way to do that is by using technology.
When teaching with technology however, is it important to note that not all students have the same learning style. This means that some students are visual learners, some learn by hearing, and some learn by doing. Creating a webpage isn't going to automatically make your students do better. But, if you create a web page that will help students learn using a different style, compared to what you're able to use in the classroom, you will find that the students will learn more.
By integrating the internet into my class, and into my own professional development, I've been able to learn a lot of things. Having the ability to learn about new technologies, and how to use them in a class setting has taught me much more than I could have learned within my own district.
I feel that the assignment that best shows how good I am with technology is the SIG project that my group and I created. We chose to create a Wiki, and a wiki alone is great - but what I like about it is it combines many of the technologies that I've discovered during this course. I am in the process of creating a wiki that includes links to my RSS reader, my Twitter feed, and my weekly lesson plans on my Google Calendar. Combining all of these important features that we've learned in class into one easy to use website really shows how I learned to bring everything together.
I have met my goals in my Personal Growth Plan by continuing to explore new technologies. I have explored new technologies with my classmates, SIG group, and other online collaborative sites. I have been checking my RSS reader almost daily for new information, new technologies, and have utlized hashtags on twitter to locate information on Educational Technology.
I don't have any new goals, but most importantly, I want to continue to learn. This 8-week course showed me a lot about the technologies that are out there that I didn't know about. Learning about these gave me more information that I can use to become a better educator. Knowing that there are more resources out there that can help me makes me a determined learner. My plan for reaching my long term goals of continuing to learn are simple. I will continue to work on my masters and that will allow me to learn and use technologies that will benefit my students.
Technology is always changing, always growing and evolving, and my goal is to stay on top of that change. Everyone has had the professor or teacher who doesn’t quite know how to use the machine that they are using. Whether it’s the professor that “Replies All” instead of forwarding an e-mail, or the teacher who can’t get the projector to work, my goal is to not be that teacher.
This is an evolving goal, something that I’ll always have to keep up with. The more I learn, the more I’m able to share with my students. By doing this, I can accomplish my second goal, which is to create a class that engages students in social studies and give them a hands on education where they can be active learners.
Chemistry class has labs, biology class has dissections. What does Social Studies have? Globes? How can I make this class fun and interesting? Technology. I want to learn all aspects of technology that will engage my students. I want to allow them to have all the resources available at the click of a mouse. It’s not about a “fun” class. I ‘d love for my class to be fun, but most of all, I want my students to learn. I want to make them interested in the subject matter, and I think the best way to do that is by using technology.
When teaching with technology however, is it important to note that not all students have the same learning style. This means that some students are visual learners, some learn by hearing, and some learn by doing. Creating a webpage isn't going to automatically make your students do better. But, if you create a web page that will help students learn using a different style, compared to what you're able to use in the classroom, you will find that the students will learn more.
By integrating the internet into my class, and into my own professional development, I've been able to learn a lot of things. Having the ability to learn about new technologies, and how to use them in a class setting has taught me much more than I could have learned within my own district.
I feel that the assignment that best shows how good I am with technology is the SIG project that my group and I created. We chose to create a Wiki, and a wiki alone is great - but what I like about it is it combines many of the technologies that I've discovered during this course. I am in the process of creating a wiki that includes links to my RSS reader, my Twitter feed, and my weekly lesson plans on my Google Calendar. Combining all of these important features that we've learned in class into one easy to use website really shows how I learned to bring everything together.
I have met my goals in my Personal Growth Plan by continuing to explore new technologies. I have explored new technologies with my classmates, SIG group, and other online collaborative sites. I have been checking my RSS reader almost daily for new information, new technologies, and have utlized hashtags on twitter to locate information on Educational Technology.
I don't have any new goals, but most importantly, I want to continue to learn. This 8-week course showed me a lot about the technologies that are out there that I didn't know about. Learning about these gave me more information that I can use to become a better educator. Knowing that there are more resources out there that can help me makes me a determined learner. My plan for reaching my long term goals of continuing to learn are simple. I will continue to work on my masters and that will allow me to learn and use technologies that will benefit my students.
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