Reflection 10: Technology Integration in Education

November 22, 2013 | clmalik

I have had such a great experience in my EDIT class with Justine. She always kept class and activities fun and interesting. The information I learned from this class was truly valuable and necessary for 21^st century learners. The skills I learned from this class will definitely help me in my future career as a Speech Language Pathologist.

Technology integration in education is very important for 21^st century learners. Technology is constantly growing and changing and I feel that this class helped me see new sides to technology that I had not been exposed to previously. Technology in classrooms opens up new doors for students by enhancing collaboration and imagination. I liked how we learned about technology integration in education by using technology. The LAD project was a great example of this because we created a lesson plan on a website and combined technology into this plan. The blog was also a great idea to incorporate technology into our class discussions. All in all I loved this class!

Documentation 5: 11/20

November 20, 2013 | clmalik

My group presented on Monday and I think we did a great job presenting and communicating to the class. Our project came together well and everyone in my group was very cohesive. I really enjoyed watching the other groups present as well. So far we’ve learned about college athletes, defensive driving, and children with hearing impairments. I think the LAD project was a great final project because it tied everything together that we have learned in Justine’s class. We learned how to build our own website, think critically and come up with an important question, use technology such as QR codes, and create videos. I believe this was a valuable experience!

Reflection 9: Interactive Whiteboards

November 15, 2013 | clmalik

The article, “The Rise of the Interactive Whiteboard in Higher Education,” states that interactive whiteboards engage students’ imagination and promote collaboration. They also accommodate all types of learners, visual, kinesthetic and auditory. The SmartBoard also enhances communication. Students are able to achieve a level of interactivity that is impossible to achieve with traditional textbook learning. Student collaboration is enhanced when these new levels of participation are introduced.

Some defects of the SmartBoard are that is very expensive. Some schools may only be able to provide a few SmartBoards. In these cases the SmartBoards are put on wheels and moved from classroom to classroom. This causes problems when multiple teachers want to use the board. Another problem is instructing teachers how to use the boards to their fullest potential.

All in all I think interactive whiteboards are a great addition to our 21^st century classrooms. I would also be interested in the ways SmartBoards could be used in speech therapy.

Works Cited: www.essexettc.org

smarttech.com

Documentation 4: 11/13

November 13, 2013 | clmalik

This week we had the opportunity to meet with Justine about our project. This was really helpful, she gave us some pointers, approved our technology activity, and we talked through our final plans for the project. On Wednesday we used the day off from class in order to work on our project. We decided on some more kid-friendly names for our tabs on the website. We also recorded our author introduction. We got a lot done and I am excited to present on Monday!

Documentation 2-3

November 10, 2013 | clmalik

This week, we worked on our i+1 section of the project. We divided up the work, and I am working on the technology activity. For this activity I decided to use QR Codes in order to teach the students about food groups. The teacher will cut out the QR codes and students will scan and match the food with it’s matching food group.

We also watched the rough draft presentations. I really enjoyed learning about everyone’s project ideas. This experience also helped me learn how to improve our own project!

Documentation 1

October 25, 2013 | clmalik

10/23: Today we worked on our “Hook” section of our project. We found a video, made a fun facts page, and also found a game for students to play before the start their lesson on “Healthy Living.” We feel like we are on task with our project and progressing well! We haven’t come across any problems with Weebly yet. The only issues we had today was that we struggled to find a video, but we found one from Sesame Street that gets our point across! – Campbell, Courtney, and Emily

Reflection: Project-Based Learning

October 15, 2013 | clmalik

In my 10^th grade AP European History class we did a month-long project. We were to research a significant person such as Rousseau or Voltaire, write a 5-page paper about their actions and beliefs, and then on the final day we dressed up as our historical figure and were interviewed by other teachers. This project-based learning thoroughly prepared us for the AP exam and it was a fun way of learning about different historical people.

From a student’s perspective there are many pros to project-based learning but there are also some cons. Projects are a fun, different way to learn new material instead of listening to lectures. Also many project allow students to use new materials such as technology or costumes. Many projects require students to work together this can be a pro or a con depending on the students. Many students love working with a partner but others may prefer to work alone.

From a teacher’s perspective there are also many pros and cons. Project-based learning invokes a deeper reasoning and thinking in students. It forces students to use problem-solving skills not only to complete the project but to also work in a group efficiently. Melissa Pelochino states this in the edutopia article, “They don’t know how to process information without a how-to guide, with a model and an example for everything. We need to be asking our kids questions that don’t have predetermined outcomes. We need to let them explore and construct and investigate and try and, most important, fail.” A con from a teacher’s perspective may be that projects are time consuming. A teacher would have to have time in their lesson plan for a project or the project would have to cover a lot of material in the lesson plan.

Sources:

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=FDOiVZN5wM3k0M&tbnid=TtLmjAkWoGgAIM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fasiasociety.org%2Feducation%2Fresources-schools%2Fprofessional-learning%2Fproject-based-learning-tops-traditional-instructio&ei=72pdUs3GLMi6kQeUg4DoDw&bvm=bv.53899372,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNHPn9BLv6rlpXfULBRJ3mYD1v2AiQ&ust=1381940298158869

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=cIBcH8TwOrDT3M&tbnid=MUj4BO6uOEUepM:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2F21centuryedtech.wordpress.com%2F2010%2F01%2F16%2Ffree-project-based-learning-resources-that-will-place-students-at-the-center-of-learning%2F&ei=BGtdUumSF4uHkQfJ7IDQDQ&bvm=bv.53899372,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNHPn9BLv6rlpXfULBRJ3mYD1v2AiQ&ust=1381940298158869

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=w3acUql-oAlXUM&tbnid=OJcKFpDnYofB4M:&ved=0CAQQjB0&url=http%3A%2F%2Fplpnetwork.com%2F2012%2F12%2F29%2Fproject-based-learning-immersion-designing-quality-projects%2F&ei=NGtdUujuL8X0kQfbmYHYBQ&bvm=bv.53899372,d.eW0&psig=AFQjCNHPn9BLv6rlpXfULBRJ3mYD1v2AiQ&ust=1381940298158869

Reflection: Ladybug Number Count!

October 7, 2013 | clmalik

We made our stop animation project on an app called, Ladybug Number Count. We chose this app because we all have had experiences working with preschoolers who struggle with counting. This app helps children learn to count. I think it is a very effective and entertaining app. The game provides screens that look similar to I Spy and the player then has to find the ladybugs and tap them with their finger. For each ladybug tapped a number appears above it. I believe it is a fun and dynamic way to learn numbers.

The apps I learned about from my peers were very helpful. The apps definitely showed how much technology has influenced education. For example, you now can get practically all your textbooks online, you can save your documents in a cloud and access them from anywhere, and you can make 6 second videos to help teach other people. As a teacher or a student in the 21^st century I would definitely use these apps to better my education.

I really enjoyed making a stop animation video. It does take some time to do so I would suggest to others to start early and stay on track with the assignments. I would also suggest writing down information in the video because that is an easy way to communicate your ideas (but don’t forget to include pictures!) Some pros of this technique is that it makes you really analyze the scenes in your video and you are able to communicate your idea fast. The con of this technique is that it is very laborious and tedious but in the end it turns out great! Overall I really liked this project.

Sources:

wpmu.org

www.jeffbullas.com

www.corporatecomplianceinsights.com

Reflection 6: Augmented Reality

October 1, 2013 | clmalik

Augmented reality, according to Ronald Azuma, is an “environment that includes both virtual reality and real-world elements.” In other words it’s the combination of technology and real life. Because technology is becoming such an important part of learning, augmented reality can be very helpful in the classroom.

There are several pros to using augmented reality in today’s classrooms. First, it engages learners in the content you want them to understand. Using technology to learn a new subject is more exciting and engaging than just listening to a lecture. Jim showed us an example of this with the augmented reality game, “Dow Day.” Learners are excited to discover “Dow Day” because they are learning about the events while walking exactly where they occurred. Students are able to learn outside of the classroom.

There are some cons to augmented reality as well. Because technology is relatively new to classrooms teachers have to adjust their teaching methods. Augmented reality is also new so it is constantly changing. One useful augmented reality app I have used is “Car Finder.” This app helps you find your car in parking garages or crowded lots. It uses your camera to search for your car and then give you directions to it.

Sources:

www.nytimes.com

http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2012/04/augmented-reality-coming-soon-to-a-school-near-you/

walyou.com

Reflection: Visual Literacy

September 15, 2013 | clmalik

There were many important ideas expressed in the two articles and video. I thought it was interesting to compare the three materials. The main ideas in each material tied together all three into a bigger picture. In the article, Media Literacy is Vital in the Age of the Image, the separate hemispheres of the brain are discussed in relation to learning. The left side of the brain processes information presented in the form of numbers and words and the right side is nonverbal side that processes images. The right side of the brain is becoming more important as we are exposed to constant ads, movies, tv, and media. Many experts believe, “the process by which we take in information is often more important than the information itself, and our culture must quickly adjust to a point where there is more of an equilibrium between the two hemispheres, between word and image.” This has led to a shift in educational thinking. Visual literacy has gained a new importance in school curriculum. We can see this shift in the curriculum at Bates Middle School. This middle school integrated art into their everyday curriculum; every teacher and subject now incorporates art into the classroom. This program has had magnificent results, suspension rates have dropped and achievement in reading and math has excelled.

Personally, I have never been in a similar classroom as the classrooms at Bates Middle School. Throughout my schooling art was always a separate class and rarely incorporated in my core classes such as math, science, and English. Luckily I went to a Liberal Arts high school so arts were highly valued, although they were not incorporated into the classroom. Ceramics, dance, theater, and digital media are just a few examples of the art classes students took.

Keeping the photo blog in EDIT 2000 is somewhat challenging to me because I have trouble keeping up with the assignments. I think the blog is very useful and helpful though. It has taught me how to manage time, connect with others through technology, and use creativity and images in school work. Overall it has been a new experience that has linked school and technology. I have enjoyed learning how to make a blog and use it to connect with others.