Blog #5

Web 2.0 includes social media, blogs twitter, and YouTube which are all helpful and useful for classroom use. These help you collaborate with others which supports professional teacher development. Like the podcast said, blogs for the classroom are more of a passive approach which may not be the most useful for the purpose of individual student involvement. Any computer/laptop includes web 2.0 features and tools.

A web 2.0 tool that I might use when teaching would be Edmodo. Edmodo allows classes to connect and collaborate. It is not as publicly available as twitter, so it is pretty secure. I think you have to be part of a school to even get a code to register.

With Edmodo, you can virtually have a class online. You can post your notes, discussions, PowerPoints all on there. It’s a really nice tool to be able to have and utilize in the classroom. https://www.edmodo.com/

With the concept mapping assignment, I learned how to create study guides and organize ideas by grouping them. I liked how you were able to customize it to your own liking but the website would mess up sometimes and it was a bit confusing at times. I had to redo my bubbles multiple times. Next time I will try to customize it more but this time around I was just trying to get use to the program. In my future career, I can use these tools to make concept maps for my students as study guides or just as a guiding tool. It will be a helpful tool for any subject in my classroom. A concept map can be applied to anything really.

Blog #4

The science standard for 2^nd grade I chose is SC.2.P.8.2  which is to identify objects and materials as solid, liquid, or gas. It can be found at http://www.cpalms.org/Public/PreviewStandard/Preview/1611. The classification tool to remember this standard would be a properties concept map. I could put how to identify objects in the middle bubble and then have the branches of solid, liquid, and gas in smaller bubbles. Branching from those three would be their properties that make them identifiable as that.  

I have had some teachers in the past who were really strict on how credible our sources were such as not using Wikipedia. But I have also had teachers who would accept Wikipedia. I was told in the past that if the author could not be found or if the website ended in .com it probably was not reliable enough. According to the podcast, open content is anything available for modification, use and redistribution. This is not the most reliable way of receiving information because anyone can edit it. Wikipedia falls underneath this category and is not so reliable.

With the web hunt, I learned how to use google scholar and google advanced video search. I also learned how to only search key words to get results on the content you are looking for. I had a hard time figuring out which standards went with what I was finding though. I also had trouble picking the right website to take my information from since there were so many. I do not think I found the most reliable/credible sites that I could have.

Blog #3

I can teach how to evaluate and integrate multimedia. I also think I would be able to teach how to use sources and teach how adding videos and pictures can get your message across better. I would need to get more preparation on multimedia in social studies/history though. I also could work on the standard involving "text structure", RI.5.

With my class, I will want to use Microsoft Word. Word has so much to offer and it is convenient for multiple reasons. For the elementary level, I feel as if it is the easiest to understand under Microsoft Office programs. Kids these days are getting into social media younger and younger. So the digital citizenship topic I should address is how to be safe online. They need to learn at an early age to be careful about what they post because it could be there for a very long time, possibly their whole lives. These kids are most likely 6-10 and they need to know now so they do not make mistakes when they get to their teenage years.

From the newsletter design assignment, I was able to learn how to properly format a newsletter for a classroom. I used features I had never used in Word before. It showed me that Word has so many elements other than the features just for typing essays. I liked that we could make it however we liked, with whatever border and colors. But, I did struggle with the formatting when I first started the assignment. Next time I will plan it out before I jump right into it. In the future, I can use these skills to make my actual class newsletters to send out to parents.

Blog #2

 

   As a student, I have used Microsoft Word for classes to type essays along with using it for lab reports. My teacher would normally attach Word documents to emails where I could then read it. These Word documents were of newsletters or study guides usually.

Through school and in an educational environment, I have learned that you cannot just use anything you find on the internet for school. Some things are for online use only and may not be copied, such as textbooks. Teachers have to be careful and cite or give credit to the pictures and words they put into their lessons for copyright reasons.

Twitter is a way to connect with people. After following the different education pages through this personal learning networks, I can see that you can gain more knowledge on a subject that you were not so clear on before. There is new information coming your way every day. This has helped me communicate my thoughts and communicate with others who share common interests. I can use these skills for future use by applying them to my future class. Creating a class blog for students may help them communicate effectively between each other.

Blog #1

Computers are becoming an essential tool for the 2lst century. It is important for teachers to learn how to use computers and technology for their classroom because they will most likely use them in their classrooms. Teachers can do a lot of activities including interactive group work or assignments such as a class blog. Teachers can also use computers for class newsletters and announcements. Although computers bring a lot of creativity and interactive learning, it takes away some things such as actually writing things versus typing. Kids get more distracted with technology and it can interfere with their people skills.

The student standard about communication and collaboration is interesting to me because kids in the classrooms today are expanding their knowledge through different forms of media. It is not just the standard pencil and paper. This standard also mentioned that students will be able to learn about other cultures and gain a global perspective. The teacher standard that seems out of my skill set would be the one about designing and developing digital age learning experiences. I am good at technology but not great so I have to learn more about the newer technology before I can really teach and engage my students in technology based learning activities. I do not know how to design learning activates for certain student’s needs technology wise.

Digital native is a term used to describe a person who has grown up with technology around them. Yes, a lot of the older teachers I have had in the past did struggle with using technology especially when it came to projectors (which I do not think I even know how to work to be honest). But I have had a lot of teachers that have been good at technology. The teachers that had trouble with computers, we would help them which would just give us a better assessment of what we knew. Like my mom for example is not so tech savvy, but helping her has helped me. My future students will most likely know more and be way more tech savvy. They will have grown up in the era when the average elementary student has an iPhone. They probably will know more than me which then I will have to learn to adapt.

Twitter

Twitter username - @eme_vcrews

Blog #0

   I think I was in Elementary school when I first learned how to use Microsoft Word. Since then, I have used Microsoft word the most out of all the windows office programs available. Other than that, I taught myself most of what I know and can do. We had computers available to us in high school and I did a lot of communication with teachers via technology such as Edmodo and online classes.
   In this class, I hope to learn valuable information to be able to navigate and use my resources in technology better. I hope to not only be able to understand more but be able to teach it too. I hope to be able to apply what I learn from this class for future use. Especially if I do decide to become an Elementary Education teacher, it will become very useful and practical.
    From the results, I learned that I am a reflective learner which I totally agree with. I would rather work alone and during class I always need to think things through before I can really comprehend the concept being taught. I am also a sensing learner which also makes a lot of sense because I am very particular when it comes to my work and I like having things laid out for me step by step. I like using and learning a well established method to solve a problem. I also got that I am a visual leaner which seems to be me because I always like lessons or books that incorporate pictures/graphs. I remember things in details by capturing an image in my mind whether it is learning something or visiting a new place. I agree that I am a sequential learner because when I have had teachers that always would jump around, especially in history class with time periods, I would have a hard time following. I like learning things in sequential order because that is how I comprehend things the best, especially when it comes to math. I think this quiz accurately described my learning style. When I read about each category I received, it verified what I have previously thought about how I learn.