As part of the most recent developments in technology, our society is creating more ways for users to work anytime and anywhere, and these new tools are slowly finding their way into homes and classrooms around the globe. The use of online communication tools allows students to keep in touch with distant family members, experts in their field, and their peers. This technology is creating an avenue for the exchange of information between and among students and teachers, keeping classroom populations in touch with each other more than ever before. Online communication tools are easily adaptable to almost any teaching and learning environment, and indeed we are seeing an increase in classroom use of these types of programs. These programs make it simple for the students to move outside the walls of the classroom and connect with almost anyone around the world. The majority of these applications may be used from a computer, a cellular device with internet access, and some can be used from any cellular phone.
Online communication tools are found in many forms. Access to these tools gives the student an opportunity to experience learning in a multiple of ways. It does this by letting the student establish his/her own voice, connect with others from around the world, and compare their ideas with others. These applications allow the teacher to manage their own classroom activities outside of school hours through online communication via Twitter, online chat room, or instant messaging. This is a huge advantage for the instructor to be able to provide vital information about certain projects, due dates, or tests to multiple students at once.
Personally, I have not had any experience using an online communication device in my own classroom with the exception of a teacher website. The main reasons for me not using these tools is because of lack of exposure and knowledge of the applications. I did not want to get into a situation that I didn't feel very comfortable working in and especially where the students didn't feel comfortable. The first online tool that I heard of being used in the classroom was Twitter, where the teacher can provide brief messages to all students pertaining to certain assignments, due dates, projects, tests, and so forth. I think that this tool is very feasible for all teachers and students to use because of its simplicity. All users must set up their own free account and you're ready to start "Tweeting". This can easily be done simply by the teacher scheduling a day in the computer lab and walking every student through the steps in creating their own account to ensure that nobody has any problems and feels comfortable using the tool.
The first baby step I will take in applying an online tool into my classroom will be via Twitter. By using this, I can post important brief messages to all students concerning any classroom activity. Online tools provide such an opportunity for all students to learn in a nontraditional way. Online communication is certainly being viewed as the next best learning tool for the future.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
EDOL 533 Week 4-- Powerpoint
Out of all off the software packages that have been discussed in this class, the use of a presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint is the one that I feel the most comfortable working with. This software can be used for either teacher of student-led presentations, which help organize and enhance the delivery of the desired content. The versatility of the program allows the creator to incorporate several multimedia elements such as text, graphics, animations, sound, and video clips into his/her presentation. The flexibility of the software allows the user to create a presentation that is appealing to a variety of different learning styles that may be found in a typical audience.
The use of this presentation software is especially valuable when used by students to create their own presentations. This software helps the students organize their thoughts into certain chunks on any given slide. By using this software, students will gain valuable experience using multimedia software along with incorporating basic computer and software skills. In my experience, I have found that students become highly motivated and have fun creating a presentation with this software, which in turn will result in the students ability to retain the material and improve learning.
Throughout my young teaching career I have always used a presentation software package such as PowerPoint in creating presentations for class lectures. Students will find the material more appealing to them when the content is delivered through a presentation rather than a teacher writing everything down on a chalkboard. The teacher is able to incorporate certain elements such as images, graphics, animations, and video clips to ensure that all learning styles are being covered. I recently created a presentation that I presented to all of my freshmen science classes about converting between different units using the metric system of measurement. This skill is essential for all science students to master, but it is a skill that students struggle with the majority of the time.
There is several different methods that can be taught to students on how to convert between different metric units. I have found through my experience that the "Ladder Method" is the simplest and most effective strategy to use. Using this method, students have to find their starting and finishing points on the ladder, count the number of spaces between the units, then move the decimal accordingly in the right direction. I am most proud of the image of the ladder I was able to add into my presentation that broke down each step for the students to follow in converting the units. I was able to walk through the entire process with the students to ensure everyone understood completely. Just by judging their facial expressions, I thought the majority of them were catching on faster than I expected. I have uploaded the image of ladder that I used below for everyone to view.
One other item that I added to the presentation after walking through the entire process as a class, I created a slide that contained several practice problems for the students to solve. After an adequate amount of time, I called on volunteers to provide a correct answer to each problem. I found this very effective for me to check for understanding of the content and if the students were capable of applying it for their own use. Overall, I thought the presentation was really effective and thought the students enjoyed it for the most part.
The use of this presentation software is especially valuable when used by students to create their own presentations. This software helps the students organize their thoughts into certain chunks on any given slide. By using this software, students will gain valuable experience using multimedia software along with incorporating basic computer and software skills. In my experience, I have found that students become highly motivated and have fun creating a presentation with this software, which in turn will result in the students ability to retain the material and improve learning.
Throughout my young teaching career I have always used a presentation software package such as PowerPoint in creating presentations for class lectures. Students will find the material more appealing to them when the content is delivered through a presentation rather than a teacher writing everything down on a chalkboard. The teacher is able to incorporate certain elements such as images, graphics, animations, and video clips to ensure that all learning styles are being covered. I recently created a presentation that I presented to all of my freshmen science classes about converting between different units using the metric system of measurement. This skill is essential for all science students to master, but it is a skill that students struggle with the majority of the time.
There is several different methods that can be taught to students on how to convert between different metric units. I have found through my experience that the "Ladder Method" is the simplest and most effective strategy to use. Using this method, students have to find their starting and finishing points on the ladder, count the number of spaces between the units, then move the decimal accordingly in the right direction. I am most proud of the image of the ladder I was able to add into my presentation that broke down each step for the students to follow in converting the units. I was able to walk through the entire process with the students to ensure everyone understood completely. Just by judging their facial expressions, I thought the majority of them were catching on faster than I expected. I have uploaded the image of ladder that I used below for everyone to view.
One other item that I added to the presentation after walking through the entire process as a class, I created a slide that contained several practice problems for the students to solve. After an adequate amount of time, I called on volunteers to provide a correct answer to each problem. I found this very effective for me to check for understanding of the content and if the students were capable of applying it for their own use. Overall, I thought the presentation was really effective and thought the students enjoyed it for the most part.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
EDOL 533 Week 3-- Word Processors and Desktop Publishing
Throughout the course of this week's lesson, I have been enlightened on a lot of different uses for word processing and desktop publishing software that I was unaware of. I have used word processors the majority of my life as both a student and now as a teacher for preparing and editing text. I am now aware that word processors can be used for much more than just a text-oriented task. One can use word processors to prepare signs, flyer's, newsletters, calendars, etc... Furthermore, the user also may access several pre-formatted templates with a certain design, but contains no text. The user may then just enter the text that he/she desires. Word processing software can perform some of the same tasks as desktop publishing software, but they cannot make some of the particular adjustments to a page as a desktop publisher can. Desktop publishers have the ability to include a custom graphic or clip art, one can easily arrange text into tables and columns, and one may create a fancy, colorful title using word art. All of these features make both of these processors very useful for the student and teacher.
I have not had the chance in my short years of teaching to take full advantage of all the uses that these software packages offer to the teacher. My first year of teaching I created a simple sign using Microsoft Word with no color or border, just plain text that I posted on my door to let students know that it was my classroom. I come to find out that even though I posted the sign on my door so all students could see, the majority of them didn't look at it anyway. I finally figured out that because of the lack of design and eye-catching appeal that I was unsuccessful in conveying the information to the students that was intended to. Because of all the stress that comes with your first year of teaching, I was unable to put forth the time needed to create a more attractive sign that would convey the message to nearby students. However, this past year I went back and recreated my sign using a word processor that hopefully would be more successful in catching the attention of my students. In my new sign with the help of Microsoft Word I was able to create a sign that includes a bold, colorful title that would grab the students attention. I also added a border around the entire sign that was intended to direct the students attention to the conveying message. I also added a couple of images to the sign in hopes of making it more visually appealing. One needs to be careful about the use of images because I believe sometimes they can take away from the intended message because students get caught looking at the images instead of the text.
With the use of word processing software I was able to create a sign that was more visually appealing and also helped me to convey the intended information to my students. I have uploaded the image for you to take a look at.
I have not had the chance in my short years of teaching to take full advantage of all the uses that these software packages offer to the teacher. My first year of teaching I created a simple sign using Microsoft Word with no color or border, just plain text that I posted on my door to let students know that it was my classroom. I come to find out that even though I posted the sign on my door so all students could see, the majority of them didn't look at it anyway. I finally figured out that because of the lack of design and eye-catching appeal that I was unsuccessful in conveying the information to the students that was intended to. Because of all the stress that comes with your first year of teaching, I was unable to put forth the time needed to create a more attractive sign that would convey the message to nearby students. However, this past year I went back and recreated my sign using a word processor that hopefully would be more successful in catching the attention of my students. In my new sign with the help of Microsoft Word I was able to create a sign that includes a bold, colorful title that would grab the students attention. I also added a border around the entire sign that was intended to direct the students attention to the conveying message. I also added a couple of images to the sign in hopes of making it more visually appealing. One needs to be careful about the use of images because I believe sometimes they can take away from the intended message because students get caught looking at the images instead of the text.
With the use of word processing software I was able to create a sign that was more visually appealing and also helped me to convey the intended information to my students. I have uploaded the image for you to take a look at.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
EDOL 533 Week 2-- Spreadsheets and Databases
The majority of educators share the common misconception that spreadsheets can only be used by adults to complete complex tasks. The use of spreadsheets in the classroom holds such potential for today's students, no matter the age level or curriculum area. Spreadsheets can be used in many fun and interesting ways to benefit both the student and the instructor.
Excel spreadsheets hold many uses for the teacher both inside and outside the classroom. Within the classroom, spreadsheets can have purpose in an array of different subject areas. For example, in Math, spreadsheets can be used to make graphs and solve equations or in English, the students can compile words for a word search or to complete their vocabulary. In my content area of science, I have used spreadsheets in the classroom with my students to analyze data from an experiment. By putting all of our data into a spreadsheet it helps keep the student organized and reduces the difficulty of plotting the data points and lets the student interpret the data more accurately. Teachers need to focus on the ability of the student to draw conclusions, it is great that the student can produce a spreadsheet and graph, but they need to know what it tells them. Can the student analyze the data and draw conclusions from it so they can tell the class something about it?
There is one way that I noticed that students are using spreadsheets that shocked me, and that was to keep track of their current balance of their checking account. The benefits of using a spreadsheet allow you to keep a list of bills, when they were received, when they were paid, and the exact amount that you paid. You also have the ability to arrange the bills so they are listed by month and by category. Teachers are making this into a year-round project, where students are given an income sheet and a checkbook and then use a spreadsheet to teach them how to live on a budget. I think this is a great "real world" activity that teaches money management skills to students and provide them with knowledge they can use for the rest of their life.
In the past, I have used spreadsheets and databases outside the classroom for my own personal use more than in the classroom with the students. Teachers can use a spreadsheet or a database for a grade book, classroom organization such as seating charts, attendance, missing assignments, or even a student information database. I have also used a spreadsheet to help create different worksheets and activities that involve vocabulary or graphing data points.
Spreadsheets and Databases have a wide variety of uses in the classroom from calculating equations in math or keeping a science weather log. Although there is certain subject areas that may encounter problems trying to incorporate spreadsheets into the curriculum. By incorporating the use of spreadsheets and databases into the classroom it provides a method by which data can be more easily organized and importantly, analyzed. Below is a link to a website that provides great steps for an educator to take to incorporate spreadsheets and databases into their own classroom.
http://atr.k12.hi.us/tutorials/tutorials/data/spreadsheets.html
Excel spreadsheets hold many uses for the teacher both inside and outside the classroom. Within the classroom, spreadsheets can have purpose in an array of different subject areas. For example, in Math, spreadsheets can be used to make graphs and solve equations or in English, the students can compile words for a word search or to complete their vocabulary. In my content area of science, I have used spreadsheets in the classroom with my students to analyze data from an experiment. By putting all of our data into a spreadsheet it helps keep the student organized and reduces the difficulty of plotting the data points and lets the student interpret the data more accurately. Teachers need to focus on the ability of the student to draw conclusions, it is great that the student can produce a spreadsheet and graph, but they need to know what it tells them. Can the student analyze the data and draw conclusions from it so they can tell the class something about it?
There is one way that I noticed that students are using spreadsheets that shocked me, and that was to keep track of their current balance of their checking account. The benefits of using a spreadsheet allow you to keep a list of bills, when they were received, when they were paid, and the exact amount that you paid. You also have the ability to arrange the bills so they are listed by month and by category. Teachers are making this into a year-round project, where students are given an income sheet and a checkbook and then use a spreadsheet to teach them how to live on a budget. I think this is a great "real world" activity that teaches money management skills to students and provide them with knowledge they can use for the rest of their life.
In the past, I have used spreadsheets and databases outside the classroom for my own personal use more than in the classroom with the students. Teachers can use a spreadsheet or a database for a grade book, classroom organization such as seating charts, attendance, missing assignments, or even a student information database. I have also used a spreadsheet to help create different worksheets and activities that involve vocabulary or graphing data points.
Spreadsheets and Databases have a wide variety of uses in the classroom from calculating equations in math or keeping a science weather log. Although there is certain subject areas that may encounter problems trying to incorporate spreadsheets into the curriculum. By incorporating the use of spreadsheets and databases into the classroom it provides a method by which data can be more easily organized and importantly, analyzed. Below is a link to a website that provides great steps for an educator to take to incorporate spreadsheets and databases into their own classroom.
http://atr.k12.hi.us/tutorials/tutorials/data/spreadsheets.html
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