Technology Project Plan and REFLECTION #9

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This project will be a powerpoint flipsnack presentation developed by 10th grade health students that could potentially be used to educate elementary and middle school students about the dangers and addictive properties of tobacco use. I find that although we used flipsnack in class, it is a very effective interactive tool and would be more applicable to elementary and middle school students.

REFLECTION #9:

Through creating this recap of the project that I would like to present, i became aware of a program that could effectively be used for podcasting in the classroom. I believe that podcasting is a useful tool to engage students with learning and provide them an outlet that they can develop ownership of. Podcasts give students a specific audience that they can relate interests with and become more interactive with learning.

FLIP YOUR CLASSROOM

Flip your classroom is a webinar blog by  a Chemistry and a  Chemistry/Technology educator who advocate for the use of online video posts to be watched at home, and review online instruction or conduct experiments in engaging activities in school. The basis of the argument suggests that direct instruction can be watched online at home in order that students then can have a more interactive experience in the classroom. This came about because the founders taught in Colorado and students were constantly missing class due to sports, weather and outside activities. As opposed to homework, students would watch an online lesson or instruction.

The first thing that came to mind is the issue of students who do not have access to technology in the home. The founders negate this problem by suggesting that schools become more accessible and allow students to use resources within the school, outside of the designated class time. Although they acknowledge that access is a legitimate concern, they suggest that "creativity and persistence" will help combat this problem.

This type of education is a very student driven schooling standard and requires teachers to transition from a teacher based philosophy to the more progressive student centered environment. The founders suggest that learning at home and working in class will help allow for students to adapt more efficiently to the different styles of learning.

I agree with many different aspects of this model but am realistic about the time and effort it will take to transition to this standard. It is a very progressive model of education but could make learning more effective for students in the technological age.

#9 Caught on Tape

This article discussed the practical application of using video capturing and editing technology in the classroom to create a more effective learning culture for the students. The argument that the author uses is by describing today's students as the "Age of Youtube" describing the student's familiarity with digital information.

I believe that the most important aspect of this article is discussed under the "Make it count" subtitle. In this section the author describes the exemplified precedence placed on capturing and sharing learning experiences. This factor helps instill sense of the importance of education within the students. Through suggesting that learning is a continuous process and that lessons should be recalled and documented in the schooling experience, students are reinforced and encouraged that their education is applicable.

The article gives numerous suggestions for effective use of technology and video documents within the school. While it may require more work from the teacher to capture, edit and upload, I do believe that it would create a more efficient learning experience for the students.

FLIPSNACK and REFLECTION #8

REFLECTION #8:
In the military, we constantly use Powerpoint to present information briefings, mission briefings or to conduct staff briefings. A common theme to most of these powerpoints emulates a "Death by Powerpoint" mentality, boring the observers to sleep. It's almost as if it is a tradition in the military! However, I believe that incorporating a flipsnack presentation will not only be more engaging but it also demonstrates a precedence placed on professionalism and effort into the work. I am very thankful that I have found this presentation style and look forward to utilizing it within the Army.

#8 Twitter and REFLECTION #7

After perusing through the Twitter feeds, I have come to various conclusions about the application of Twitter in the classroom. First, I become far too distracted when observing the various Twitter posts. This is partly due to my unfamiliarity with the program and also due to peers posts who have Twitter accounts. For this reason, if Twitter was to be used as an educational experience it would be necessary to have it strictly monitored and controlled to education related topics.  As far as a professional development tool, it seems that creating a professional portfolio would be more appropriate. I know that in my military career, Twitter accounts are disregarded as a credible source for information regarding promotional opportunities. In different professional settings, a Twitter account may be more appropriate for professional expression. As far as gaining ideas specific to education, it seems like a viable tool for referencing information and getting in touch with experienced educators.


REFLECTION #7

During my experience in the AVID classroom, i discussed having a Twitter account with the cooperating teacher. Interestingly, the teacher, having experience in the classroom for over 25 years had not one, but two twitter accounts. One was accessed for personal use while the other was utilized for professional purposes. I thought this was important because she uses the accounts often to find interesting new tips about technology in health and fitness courses to stay up to date with current trends. I believe that having two separate accounts is an effective way to better monitor the professionalism of specific accounts.

COMMENT LINKS

http://www.bethanylowesblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/reflection-2.html#comment-form

http://www.wright2whitney.blogspot.com/2012/09/week-3-digital-natives-digital.html#comment-form

http://www.sitzleralyssa.blogspot.com/2012/10/reflection-2.html#comment-form

http://sigridthoreson.blogspot.com/2012/09/promethean-activboard.html?showComment=1350350820476#c5980299277428485567

http://amdowns8.blogspot.com/2012/10/week-8.html?showComment=1350351014604#c3523651283343584552

http://angiegarza12.blogspot.com/2012/10/reflection-6.html?showComment=1350351341143#c8609136178941764030

http://heatherkristinsadventures.blogspot.com/2012/10/week-7-how-technology-can-help-with-math.html?showComment=1350351562702#c2966331819198077137

http://heatherkristinsadventures.blogspot.com/2012/10/in-avid-class-that-i-help-out-in-once.html?showComment=1350351888544#c8347253548338843962

http://tootsievasquez06.blogspot.com/2012/10/reflection-5.html?showComment=1350352080159#c2485590518208365441

Reflection 6

This reflection is in regards to the accessibility of different lesson plans that can be used for classroom discussions. For my presentation I used the Jeopardy template that could be applied in almost any subject specific classroom setting. The template was fully editable and surprisingly user friendly. I became more aware of how to implement sounds and movement into the presentation and feel much more comfortable with the ACTIVboard after presenting my lesson. Although my presentation did not have much relevance or applicability to any specific classroom, it was engaging and competitive allowing for a fun interactive experience for the class.  

Reflection 5

As of now I believe that the most important aspect of the Technology in Education class is the article discussing being more applicable to “today’s” learner. It is apparent that this article summarizes how important being technologically aware is to keeping the attention of the more fast paced technological learners today. Sadly, the more experienced teachers have not always been trained in the technological advances and hold fast to the prior methods of teaching doing a disservice to the new school culture. Allowing students to blog, post, comment, publish, interact and quickly navigate technology in order for a more effective learning experience. 

Reflection 4

This reflection is in regards to the photo book created online. While I do not see the extent of applicability for this program in a secondary P.E. class, I do see the application of the story program in a health class. Specifically, I could see this working very well during the tobacco awareness portion of the class where students are released to teach in elementary and middle schools on the health risks of using tobacco. I believe that this program would be a great way to link the gap between high school students and elementary students by presenting a creative photo story that would be both informative and engaging for the students being taught. The high school students would be required to design and publish the story for use in an elementary classroom as a guest speaker. 

Reflection 3

This week the class watched a video of a 10-12 year old boy presenting a lecture on his interests in designing an APPs (Application) using advanced code. I believe that this would be a very interactive and engaging activity to implement into the schools. This would require a significant amount of funding from the school for the necessary equipment and programs as well as the 99$ fee for the publishing of the APP but students would be exposed to a practical application of code and technology in the classroom. The young man displayed a demeanor of maturity that surpassed his age, spoke well and seemed properly prepared for the lecture. I believe that some of these qualities can be attributed to the advanced learning required of him from the developing of the application. 

Reflection 2

This week, the class was more exposed to the importance and applicability of the ACTIVboard. When I was in high school, the distribution of the ACTIVboard became very prominent within the public school system. I recall the teachers having to go through an in depth training class in order to become more familiar with the board. I feel that these types of classes are very important prior to using the board in front of a class because teachers need to feel comfortable with the technology to be more effective in teaching. However, often teachers had to revert back to the white board or document reader due to confusion with the board. I believe that implementing a refresher course frequently would help negate the issues of confusion with the board. 

Reflection 1

The first point of discussion is in regards to the lack of reliability of technology within the classroom. In previous job experiences, I worked with video production and editing software, as well as analog and digital audio equipment and am fully aware of the frequent issues that arise when working with technology. Whether it is user error or technological error, it seems that technology has a tendency not to work. In a classroom setting, I believe that this can be detrimental to the pace of the lesson and efficacy of the teaching. While the positives of using technology in the classroom heavily outweigh the negatives, the reliability of technology needs to be taken into consideration. 

#7 Blogs for Educators

The blog that I observed was from a 5th grade class at Mukilteo Elementary Schools. The first thing that I noticed on the blog was that the learning target was boldly established. This is important because it helps focus the student, teacher and parent on the objective of the lesson. Then, if parents are able to assist their student on their assignment, they have a general grasp of the overall expectation. Directly under the learning target are the assigned homework tasks and links to the photocopied page. This allows students to print off assignments in the case that they have lost their book. I think by giving students a more accessible resource for their homework will help increase the likelihood that homework is completed in a timely manner.

Another thing that I liked from this blog was the linked tools that were not directly specific to the learning target. This allows students to interact with the website at a later date for further assistance on other homework. Also, the teacher added four separate interactive and fun activities to help reinforce the learning target. This blog seems like it would be a great resource for the 5th grade students.

Animoto Project

Make a video of your own at Animoto.

#6 Generation IM

Generation IM was an article describing the application of technology within the classroom and how it relates to the students capacity for learning. The article begins by describing the cultural occurence of a very technology oriented society where homes are often engrossed in various different forms of technology. I know that with my family and even within the Army, technology is a large factor in our day to day operations.

One thing that I learned from the article is I did not realize how many students before the age of 6 are exposed to computers. It is interesting to realize that statistically over two hours of those children's day is spent behind a computer screen. Although these are very formative years for a student, I do believe this computer exposure is excessive. Another aspect were the seven suggestions located at the end of the article describing different ways that a teacher can incorporate technology into their education. One way that had never crossed my mind was to use Google maps to indicate journeys and voyages of our history. This would be a very effective tool in a Social Studies or geography class analyzing cultural and topographical characteristics of different areas.

This information could be utilized in a science class in many different ways. If I became a science teacher, I would try to incorporate the virtual media sharing website YOUTUBE and have my students videotape their experiments, trying a variety of experiments and edit them together into a sequence, uploading to YOUTUBE for sharing in class. This would be a fun and interactive way to have students engaged with technology while enjoying creating videos regarding science experiments.