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?
Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Sunday, October 25, 2015
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.
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.
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.
Blog Post 5
Prezi is a Web 2.0 presentation software much like PowerPoint that allows someone to create slides with information for any kind of purpose. The difference between Prezi and PowerPoint is the artistic and more imaginative features of Prezi. Prezi allows you to to pick one of the many themes in their selection that can be related or not related to your subject and make your Presentation look more fun and inviting. The Prezi website https://prezi.com/ is easy to sign up, use, and maneuver. With easy and convenient to use features Prezi can easily replace PowerPoint as the future's most used presentation software.
Prezi, although easy to use, isn't the most appropriate of tools to use in a K-12 setting. Younger students that are quickly adapting to new technologies probably wont have much use of it. It is very useful for the latter years of high school in which students are often asked to do presentations, because it is free.
As I said in the paragraph before Web 2.0 tools like Prezi and others are useful in certain grades of the K-12 education system. Younger students are inclined to being more hands on visual learners and with shorter attentions spans they probably wont have much of an appreciation or use for these tools. Getting into the middle school and high school years students have more access and knowledge of the internet and its uses and are able to use and appreciate these tools in and outside of the classroom. Presentation tools like Prezi and mobile apps like Edmodo are often used in upper-level classrooms so students can make their own learning tools and are able to communicate this with other students in class of their ideas.
Ive never used a Web 2.0 tool like imagination so while doing the concept mapping it was a whole new experience using that tool in particular. I like that there were pre-made templates. It made it much easier to input information without constantly having to add or fix how I wanted the map to look. I can use concept mapping in my future career when I cant to show connections between certain concepts, especially while explaining french grammar which sometimes has several steps.
Prezi, although easy to use, isn't the most appropriate of tools to use in a K-12 setting. Younger students that are quickly adapting to new technologies probably wont have much use of it. It is very useful for the latter years of high school in which students are often asked to do presentations, because it is free.
As I said in the paragraph before Web 2.0 tools like Prezi and others are useful in certain grades of the K-12 education system. Younger students are inclined to being more hands on visual learners and with shorter attentions spans they probably wont have much of an appreciation or use for these tools. Getting into the middle school and high school years students have more access and knowledge of the internet and its uses and are able to use and appreciate these tools in and outside of the classroom. Presentation tools like Prezi and mobile apps like Edmodo are often used in upper-level classrooms so students can make their own learning tools and are able to communicate this with other students in class of their ideas.
Ive never used a Web 2.0 tool like imagination so while doing the concept mapping it was a whole new experience using that tool in particular. I like that there were pre-made templates. It made it much easier to input information without constantly having to add or fix how I wanted the map to look. I can use concept mapping in my future career when I cant to show connections between certain concepts, especially while explaining french grammar which sometimes has several steps.
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