ILP Participation Lynda Tutorial

For my second independent learning project I decide to do a video tutorial from the website Lynda.com. I chose to do Enhancing Images with Photos for OS X with Richard Harrington. In this tutorial Richard teaches how to fix photos using the photos app that comes on Apple computers. He teaches us how to correct colors, enhance images, fix exposure and tonality, fix color and cast, and how to make black an white images. For this tutorial I took a picture of my nephew and with the help of the video I cropped and enhanced it. I also fixed the lighting by reducing shadows and highlight, and increasing contrast and brightness. The last thing I did was make it black and white. When watching this video I already knew some about the editing feature on Photos but Richard explained in great detail the use of each of the features on it.
Link to the video: http://www.lynda.com/Photos-OS-X-tutorials/Enhancing-Images-Photos-OS-X/408241-2.html
Product:

ILP Design Prezi

I made a Prezi explaining the three main components of the water cycle with graphics.
https://prezi.com/pzr3rytdug9v/the-water-cycle/

Blog Post 10

For the PowerPoint Interaction assignment I chose to do a Jeopardy game. This is the first time I've ever done something like this on PowerPoint. I found that the templates were pretty easy to maneuver and that even without a template it would still be fairly easy to make. The only thing I didn't enjoy was that there were so many slide so adding all of the buttons and changing the areas on the templates were cumbersome. That being said, it could have been a lot worse. Know how to do an Interaction PowerPoint will be a useful tool to have in hand when it comes to doing reviews in class.

Data collection tools are very useful for teachers to keep track of how theirs students are progressing, or digressing.  I want to be a French teacher to 10th or 11th graders in high school. Keeping track of their average homework and tests grades will allow me to better understand where they are struggling so that I know what to spend more time on in the future. If I were to be a math teacher, any kind of math teacher, data collection tools would be useful to both teacher and student in which they can collect real life data and use it to solve math problems. It's very practical in its application in a math classroom.
In my classmates blogs I found interesting the ways in which they would use certain technologies in their classrooms. They came up with many new ideas that I had not thought of and that I'll be sure to think about when I have my own classroom. Some of the things I read were related to the use of non-computer technologies and the use of different tools that we've learned and used in class. Something else that I saw that was interesting was how they reviewed the assignments that we've done in class.
A technological skill that I would like to learn is image editing tools like photoshop and video editing tools like iMovie or something like that. I find those tools incredibly interesting. Ive worked with iMovie before and I had a lot of fun with them. I think that once I learn how to fully master these tools that I'll be able to teach them to my students and could possibly make it as a fun project they can do.
At this point there is not a lot I can do to reach my technology goals. All I can do now is continue to use the tools that I've learned in class so that I'm constantly up to date with it and not having to relearn it. It all depends on what school I end up in. If I'm in a school with little technology there isn't much that I would have to learn but I would need to learn how to take initiative with programs that would allow more technology in my school. If my school has all windows systems I would need to learn how to maneuver that better because I'm very used to the interface of Apple computers.

Blog Post 9

There are many ways I can integrate peripherals and non-computer audio-visual technologies in my classroom. One of these ways includes using cameras in the classroom, preferably one that records. The main use of this would be to records my lectures in class. I can combine the use of cameras to computer based technologies by uploading the videos to the computer and allowing my students access to them either through a youtube account or a class website. Some peripherals that I can use in the classroom include all of the components of a computer so they can function properly. I can also add printers so I can always have the opportunity to give paper copies to the students that prefer them.
The website for the Goethe Institute, https://www.goethe.de/en/index.html offers many resources for both teacher and student. The Goethe Institute offers all kinds of information on Germany; the language, its culture, articles related to it, and opportunities for both teachers and students. Overall the website is credible. The Goethe Institute has many recognized locations in Europe. The articles are current and have listed authors with their contact information. With an evaluation like the one from one of our previous assignments it would get a good rating.
As someone looking forward to being a foreign language teacher for upper-level students I found this website to be very useful. There are many resources for current events that I can present to my students to keep them up to date with relevant information. There are e-learning resources that students can use and that I can as well. There are also exams that students can use as a study resource.
I enjoyed the assignment PowerPoint for Information Dissemination because it was the first time I had ever built any kind of lesson plan and I did it in my favorite subject. It really made me feel like a teacher and reassured me that education is still the track that I want to pursue. I have used PowerPoint so I already knew most of the basic skills that were required to make this. Something new that I learned was the use of sound and the background lecture that I was given. Learning these new skills will be useful for when I post powerpoints and additional lecture material on class website so my students always have access to this material.

Blog Post 8

Some of the advantages of using presentation software in K-12 classrooms are that they are easy to use, make, and follow by students and teachers alike. This can also be a disadvantage because easiness makes it easier for teaches to fall into the pattern of using them everyday which gets boring. The monotony of these presentations may actually hinder the development of students as students need constant variety to be interested in a subject.
In terms of the digital divide I would be on the side that has been constantly surrounded by technology. From a very young age I've had computer and internet access. As I got older and technology advanced so did my technological equipment. I've always had the latest phones and laptops for academic and personal use. Even without these things I went to a school that had a sufficient open access system with the many computer labs they had available. Because I want to be a French teacher I don't think it'll be too big of a problem having a classroom in which the students are part of the digital divide in which they don't have internet readily accessible to them. I feel as long I have proper technology for myself in my classroom then I can accommodate the kind of work I give out to not hinder the less fortunate students. I can do this by focusing on more book work when it comes to homework and focusing classroom time to the things that might enhance their knowledge from online resources.  
One of the main issues concerning educational technology today is the problem of funding. While there has been much research and innovation concerning technology in classrooms there has not been an equal fervor for implementation. While some states like Illinois dump tons of money into making sure all their schools have the proper technology other states have not been concerned with the importance and benefits that technology brings to the classroom. One of the questions I ask myself is why these states aren't on the same page when it comes to funding technology and why there isn't a nation standard for the required amount of technology in each school and classroom?

Blog Post 7

   PowerPoint can be used in multiple ways to support student learning, especially in each step of Bloom's Taxonomy, these steps (from easy to difficult) include: remember, understand, apply, analyze, evaluate, and create. At the level of remembering a fast-paced game can be created on PowerPoint to recall the basic parts of a concept. At the level of understanding a more in depth lecture can be created to go over the meaning and the connotative aspects that apply to these meanings. At the level of application a choose-your-own-story interactivity can be used to to apply the concepts to a real life situation. At the level of analyzation a teacher can create a concept map or flow chart from slide to slide in which a teacher will take a big concept and break it down with the following slides. At the level of evaluation PowerPoint can be used as an interactive test in which students are able take the concepts and judge them in front of the class. And lastly at the level of creation students can create their own PowerPoint covering one of the concepts gone over in class.
   Assistive and adaptive technologies are mostly used to aid and improve students that have a tougher time learning the traditional way. These technologies can be very broad in their aid or very specific. For example audio player can help students that have a tough time paying attention to books. I have never known or encountered someone that has used this kind of technology. Some of the challenges that come with assistive technologies include catering to the specific needs of every student and some of the technology might be disruptive to the other students in the class.
   In the web page design assignment I learned how to use a new kind of interface. Because it was done in class I felt a little rushed like I couldn't really explore all the features that were included. Next time I feel like Ill be able to improve on a project because Ill be able to truly work with all of the features.

Blog Post 6

No matter what age or grade level teachers maintaining a class website is always useful. During a students younger years parents are very interested in what their child is learning and how they're progressing and maintaining a website is avery good way to keep parents updated even if the students won't get any use out of it. In the later years of public education teachers should maintain a website specifically for their students. It is a good way to keep students on track by providing resources and keeping them updated on homework, tests, and events. Maintaining a course website is worth the effort because that way students and parents can never say they "didn't know".
As a future teacher I feel like I would constantly want visuals for my students. Using technology in the classroom allows me to have that consistent flow of information available to my students. I can use a course website as I said before to keep my students updated and on track. I can also use them to upload external resources and any material that I use in class such as PowerPoints and videos. In class I can use Elmo's to display a worksheet that we're doing in class or I can use it to display a bigger concept something that can't be shown on a board. Smart boards are also useful in class because it can be used interactively between teachers and student.
The Web Evaluation Wiki was an easy assignment but the formatting of the Wiki interface on google was hard to use. Ive used wikis before that are not on google that were easier to use because everything was easily changeable whereas in the google wiki it was hard to get rid of the things I didn't want on the template. The web evaluation itself was easy to use and understand and it gave me a greater understanding of how I will pick and choose the websites I present in class in the future.