What I got from it

These past four months in the classroom have been very beneficial for me. I started this class with knowledge on how to use Excel, Word and Power Point but never imagined there was so much more you can do with it. Now I know how to bring to life boring Power Point presentations by incorporating hyperlinks, videos, podcasts and more. I know now that Word does not have to be just for research papers but also for amazing handouts, flyers, brochures, newsletters, business plans and more. You can make a Word document very interactive and appealing to students. I always thought Excel was the most boring program but after taking this class I know that I can use this program to create seat charts, grade books and even crossword puzzles for my students. In addition, I learned how to use other programs such as Inspiration that can be extremely helpful when trying to engage students that prefer a visual way of learning. Inspiration also will help me scaffold my instruction by providing my students a way to create concept maps, graphic organizers, diagrams, story webs, outlines, etc. Also I learned how to make Podcasts and how to create my own website where I was able to practice how to design it and most importantly how to make it student and parent friendly. As you can see, I brought some skills with me at the beginning of the class but I definitely have a deeper understanding of how to use technology to support my students. I can see myself using what I have learned to accommodate my ELLs in ways that I could not have done before this class.

SMART Boards

After the initial WOW I had about SMART Boards, the feeling wore off and I am just left with the question of how beneficial are they really. Don’t get me wrong! I would love to have one in my future classroom but like everything else, it really depends on how you use it. I am aware that with this technology my life as a teacher will be easier. It will help me bring multi-media into my lessons and help me do interesting things that I cannot do with PowerPoint. The SMART Board resources in the internet are abundant and I can use them to make the content more dynamic and clear. I think the smart board technology is relatively easy to use and helps accommodate many learning styles at the same time. However, the SMART Board is just a tool and as such, it is how you use this tool that counts. When trying to emphasize nonlinguistic representations of content, we must make sure not to clutter slides and choose relevant, focused visuals. I don’t have a lot of experience with SMART Boards but it seems to me that it will help reinforcing the material more than explaining the reasoning behind it. In other words, I don’t know if it will help students focus attention on the “why” behind the correct or incorrect response. This is where teacher intervention is necessary and cannot be replaced by software regardless of how smart it is! The software cannot read students the way we can. Again, don’t misinterpret what I am saying. I think that proper usage of this technology can be very beneficial in the classroom but again…the key word is proper usage. I firmly believe it is more about the teaching than the “tool”.

Teacher Website

As a mother of a busy 4th grader, I always find that having access to a teacher’s website is very helpful. That is, of course, if the teacher actually uses it to its fullest potential. As a parent I want concise information on what my child is doing in class so I can build upon that and help him build connections and more background knowledge related to what he is covering in school. I expect the teacher to keep her/his page up-to-date, in addition to having links to useful web resources and pdf files of the material he receives. Also, parents love pictures of what students are doing regardless of the grade level. It is also helpful to know the homework students have and the rules and expectations of the teacher. Sounds easy right? Well, what I mentioned before was what an involve parent expects. However, teachers are overworked and underpaid as it is and asking them to use extra time to create this type of website can get some teachers upset. I personally see this “time” investment as being worthwhile since it will pay off in the end. For example, a teacher can post weekly letters on the website as opposed to printing reams of paper and sending it home with the student. This eliminates wasted paper and time that the teacher can be using for other important things. In addition, it makes it easier for parents, caregivers and students themselves, to take responsibility of their own learning. The students’ assignments, projects and tests will be readily available, therefore, “I did not know” or “I forgot” will not be an excuse anymore. Another benefit is that by posting weekly assignments, the teacher will be creating continuity for students who live in more than one home during the week. Teachers can be as creative as they want with their websites. For example they can post questions on it and have the students answer them via e-mail for extra credit. This way the teacher will be encouraging students to go to the website and exposing them to experience alternate ways of learning.

Rubric Evaluation

In my Technology class we were asked to talk about two different types of App evaluations. One was created by Katy Schrock and the second one by Harry Walker. Although the purpose of both of them was to help us evaluate how helpful an app is in the classroom, their approaches were totally different. I personally did not like the “Evaluation Rubric for IPod Apps” by Harry Walker. It seems very limiting, and simplistic. It provides a numerical rating with a description of what that specific number will represent. Well, what about if my 3 is more like a 4 for certain students or other educators? Apps can be used for many different purposes and different instructional levels; therefore, rating an app with one number does not seem to be the correct way to evaluate it. Although the domains covered (curriculum connection, authenticity, feedback, differentiation, user friendliness, student motivation) in this rubric seemed pertinent to evaluate an app, the numerical rating and its rigidity make this a poor rubric evaluation. The other evaluation created by Kathleen Schrock on the other hand, takes a more holistic approach to the app evaluation. It takes into consideration many different aspects such as the level of Bloom’s taxonomy being addressed, age appropriateness, title, content and grade level. In addition, it provides the educator an opportunity to input comments and brainstorm on different uses for it. This evaluation in addition to covering the same six domains that the previous rubric evaluation does, it also has four additional parts that provide useful information when deciding if an app will work to enrich your lesson or not. I believe the use of an evaluation rubric is very helpful to navigate the process of deciding what app to use, when to use it, what students are going to be exposed to it, and when in your lesson would it be a good time to integrate this technology. Additionally, it helps the educator to create a mental checklist of what is needed.

Excel

In my technology class we covered the uses that the Excel software program has. I have been using excel for many years now, but this was the first time I was using it to make student-friendly things! I had no idea that there was so much more to Excel than boring spreadsheets. I think Excel is a very convenient application that deserves to be given a second look. It can be very functional if used properly, for example, it can help students and teachers create a budget, display charts and graphs that can be easily manipulated, create different crossword puzzles depending on the student level, seat charts, time lines and more. In addition, it is very flexible as far as sizing, fonts, colors and templates. I also believe this program can be used by students of all ages and all intelligences. It is easy to create differentiated material and allows the students to go at their own pace.

Research paper

As teachers we always hear about special accommodations to meet the needs of students and although this is a great and fair concept, many times the accommodations we use are not making a difference for the students we mean to help. Because of this, I chose to write my research paper on accommodations for ESL students focused on testing and instruction delivery. “Fairness does not mean everybody gets the same; it means everybody gets what they need”. I feel this saying applies perfectly to testing ESL students. Giving these students extra time and a dictionary has been a popular accommodation. However, many times the use of a dictionary alters the construct being measured and therefore the test will not be an accurate representation of what the ESL student knows. Some of the research I found shows how computer accommodations are effective in providing these students with the proper scaffolding and accommodations they need in order to receive fair testing. I feel this is very important for ESL students and for educators as well, since a portion of the APPR score depends on how well these students score on the tests. Another interesting finding has to do with the listening portion of testing. There is computer software that slows down the tempo without changing the pitch. This helps ESL students understand the listening input. This could make a huge difference for students starting to learn the English language. Although this technology might not push any changes at the state level with regards to testing, it is something that can be used with students daily in the classrooms. When it comes to instruction, technology can be extremely helpful to teach main elements of the English language. Based on the research I found, there are computer-assisted instruction programs and multimedia technology that can help ESL students develop phonological awareness and a more in depth understanding of phonics. In addition, technology can help with the acquisition of grammar, comprehension, writing and speaking. I believe this technology targets their different levels of proficiency and makes instruction appealing, engaging and most importantly, a more successful experience for ESL students.

Educational video

I have to say this video made it to my top five “must watch” educational videos. I know we were asked to chose one aspect of the movie that impacted us the most and write about it, but I find it very difficult to just choose one since there are so many of them that I find extremely relevant. The speaker showed how the thinking process of a student with a learning disability works; how lonely, singled out and afraid they feel most of the time, and how frustrating this can be for the student and the teacher as well. The whole idea of “showing” somebody how it feels to be a certain way is very powerful. You can spend years researching and reading literature about students with learning disabilities but nothing is going to give you a better understanding than actually putting yourself in their position. I feel this is the same with English language learners (ELLs). Through my graduate program here at Nazareth, I have come to see how little content teachers really know about them. ELLs are usually “studied” at the same time students with disabilities are discussed without giving much depth or a second thought. An ELL is NOT automatically a student with a disability. However, they do go through the same situation that was described in the video. What content teachers fail to see is that the cause of it, is their language barrier not a disability. This is not to say that ELLs do not have learning disabilities. Of course some of them do but statistics show that they largely overrepresented in the special education population. Teachers and future teachers hear about ELLs all the time. They know ELLs are going to be part of the classroom and part of their APPR score. If they are lucky they might even talk about ELLs during their graduate classes in conjunction with words like “scaffolding” and “differentiation”. But nobody shows them how does it feel to be one. Unless you start seeing them through different eyes and putting yourself in their shoes you will never be able to be as effective as you can as their teacher. Please don’t think I am bashing content teachers! I am most certainly not. I believe they come to the classroom with a lot of knowledge and great intentions. However, I do believe that the lack of exposure and relevant information about these student populations (ELLs and students with learning disabilities) will sadly result in a lack of understanding and empathy for them. I have an idea. What about a video just like this one to show teachers (I guess during their PD hours since they don’t do it in their graduate programs…) how do ELLs feel when they are sitting in their classes? Understanding and empathy are strong feelings that can totally change the way you look at these students

Visual Learners

There are not two students that are alike. They all have different interests, different cognitive levels and most importantly they all process information in different ways. The latest one is what we refer to as multiple intelligences preferences. Fancy word for “how this student learns best.” One of these intelligences refers to visual learners, who are students that prefer using imagery to acquire ideas. Some learning strategies that I may take into account when working with a visual learner includes using images whenever possible, pictures that convey the meaning of concepts presented, color and anything that helps them process the data. Some ways I might do this is by giving them the opportunity to use programs available such as Inspiration to help them create their own “mental map” to understand the content, make connections and bottom line, make sense of the information they get. Sadly, technology is not always available and therefore I will introduce and explain in detail how they can benefit from diagrams and charts readily available to them. I feel this is very important especially when teaching ESOL students since they need extra support to grasp the concepts being taught. This will scaffold the material in a way that will make it more accessible for them.

Webquest

The concept of a webquest is something new to me but I personally think that it is a great idea since nowadays the Internet is more accessible to students and teachers are using it as an instructional tool. Webquests appear to be a fun way to help students discover new facts and events while improving engagement and motivation. Since I will be teaching ESL students, I believe this will help me scaffold the material to their level by providing not only content information but language support as well. I can also use a webquest to, help them activate and/or create the necessary background knowledge they are going to need as a point of reference for their understanding. The fact that a webquest can be accomplished cooperatively is also very beneficial for students especially English Language Learners. Many times ELLs have a high affective filter and are simply not ready to interact with classmates in a big classroom setting. Providing them the opportunity to work collaboratively with small groups, will help them become more confident and practice their language skills in a group environment more conducive for learning. All students will have to learn to work together and support each other since they all are in the same group.

Power Point

I remember when classes where conducted by using chalk and a blackboard (I guess I am dating myself there) and how visually unappealing the lessons were. Power Point on the other hand has helped us bring to life lessons and concepts that otherwise would be dull and boring. I personally believe Power Point is a great visual tool that can be used to convey a message in an exciting way with the use of sounds, videos, hyperlinks, pictures, and other eye-catching visual aids. Nevertheless, I can’t help but to think of my personal experience in some classes where the instructor has used Power Point to present material, making the atmosphere of the class not conducive of learning since we –the students- are expected to simply sit, listen and take notes rather that speak to our peers or instructor and engage in a meaningful conversation. If the teacher using Power Point is not careful, the valuable interaction between the instructor and the student will be lost. Indeed, the presentation in Power Point is better but the teacher’s skills are still more important than the visual method used to deliver the course’s curriculum. As much as I believe Power Point is a great way to enhance our curriculum, I think that this program also has some negative aspects. I believe that teachers can get stuck into this “just the main idea” factor, and forget that teaching is more than just facts given in bullets. I believe that learning requires looking at an issue from different perspectives; as well as understanding how concepts, ideas and events are interconnected with each other. Needless to say, it will take more than a Power Point presentation to achieve this. Another negative aspect is that if the teacher overuses something like Power Point, the effectiveness of the program can be diminished. If the teacher uses too many slides and with too much information in them, the material can get boring and the attention of the students will be lost. Overall, I believe Power Point is a useful tool that can add and enrich a lesson IF used properly.

Microsoft Word

I must be honest. When I heard we were going to be working on M.W. for the whole time during class I thought to myself “what a waste of time!” I am paying a lot of money for this! Please accept my apologies Mrs. S. I could not have been more wrong. I can't believe I did not know there was so much about Microsoft Word! When thinking about M.W. the first thing that came to mind was essays and research papers. If I could have described M.W. in one word, it would have been “boring”. I must admit that I was mistaken. I read the application training manual (yep, I actually read it) and checked the videos posted and realized that there is a lot more to M.W. I always wondered what computer program was my son’s teacher using to do all the fun things she has on paper. I thought maybe it is some special thing that just teachers have access to. Again, I was very wrong! It was simply Microsoft Word. I guess I never stopped to try and use all the different components of the program. I wish I would’ve because after all, you can have a lot of good information but if the presentation is dull and boring then your audience will not be interested in reading the content.

Social Media and Education

I believe that our youth has made up their mind about social media and clearly, it is here to stay. I think that as educators we must be constantly evolving, although that might mean to do things in a way that we thought it was not possible. Our job is to find a way to engage them and make the content accessible to everybody so why not take advantage of the technology they use daily and try to use it in our benefit? I feel that we must explore the potential of the available technology and media-sharing services that although not designed specifically for educational purposes, it can be used to empower students and create exciting new learning opportunities.

Welcome!

Hello everybody. Looking forward to a fun semester!