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Saturday, May 7, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Final Reflection
What are some things that you have learned about effective teaching strategies when integrating technology?
I learned an immense amount of technology in this course that not only can I apply in my classroom, but to also teacher my peers about. The STAIR project was wonderful to use since I am always looking for differentiation for my higher learners. I am sharing my project with not only my teaching partners at the 4th grade level but also at the district level. I also found learning about WebQuests and website creation applicable to my life as a teacher. I even created my own WebQuest for my 4th grade students as a cumulating unit assignment.
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Using MERLOT has been an eye opening experience to both find and evaluate technology. I had been searching on google for sites and resources. This gave me options, however, on many sites I did not know if the contributor was an educator or if the resource was even appropriate for classroom use without trial myself. Using MERLOT has allowed for me to search for resources not only by grade level, subject, but also by technology type. I can also read through the comments and if people have use it before, if there was technology glitches, and the ease of it. It has been nice to view resources that were made by educators for other educators. When evaluating technology works I have become more comfortable since I have been using MERLOT and through our course readings and videos since I have been referring back to the NETS standards.
How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I enjoyed CEP 810 but wanted to learn more applications to use in my classroom. This course as allowed me to do this by not only creating resources that can be used, but actually having a chance to apply them currently to my students learning. Making the social studies WebQuest, technology lesson plan using Wordle, and STAIR project have surpassed my goals. Students have been engaged in the new use of technology and have even begun sharing how to use them with peer 4th graders and their families.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
My new goal is to use these technology resources and to share them with my peers at school. I am going to share input into the next professional development day we have and see if I can share Weebly, MERLOT, Wordle, and how to create presentation on Power Point in the kiosik mode. If this is not possible, then I will share with my peers a time when they can come visit me to show them the uses or I can send out the info and teachers can explore themselves.
I learned an immense amount of technology in this course that not only can I apply in my classroom, but to also teacher my peers about. The STAIR project was wonderful to use since I am always looking for differentiation for my higher learners. I am sharing my project with not only my teaching partners at the 4th grade level but also at the district level. I also found learning about WebQuests and website creation applicable to my life as a teacher. I even created my own WebQuest for my 4th grade students as a cumulating unit assignment.
How did integrating web-based technologies help you think about and evaluate uses of technology?
Using MERLOT has been an eye opening experience to both find and evaluate technology. I had been searching on google for sites and resources. This gave me options, however, on many sites I did not know if the contributor was an educator or if the resource was even appropriate for classroom use without trial myself. Using MERLOT has allowed for me to search for resources not only by grade level, subject, but also by technology type. I can also read through the comments and if people have use it before, if there was technology glitches, and the ease of it. It has been nice to view resources that were made by educators for other educators. When evaluating technology works I have become more comfortable since I have been using MERLOT and through our course readings and videos since I have been referring back to the NETS standards.
How have you met your own personal goals for learning about technology integration?
I enjoyed CEP 810 but wanted to learn more applications to use in my classroom. This course as allowed me to do this by not only creating resources that can be used, but actually having a chance to apply them currently to my students learning. Making the social studies WebQuest, technology lesson plan using Wordle, and STAIR project have surpassed my goals. Students have been engaged in the new use of technology and have even begun sharing how to use them with peer 4th graders and their families.
Do you have any new goals? What are your plans for reaching your new goals and your long-term goals after this course is over?
My new goal is to use these technology resources and to share them with my peers at school. I am going to share input into the next professional development day we have and see if I can share Weebly, MERLOT, Wordle, and how to create presentation on Power Point in the kiosik mode. If this is not possible, then I will share with my peers a time when they can come visit me to show them the uses or I can send out the info and teachers can explore themselves.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Online Learning Experiences
What content could this help you teach?
-One site I could use was a virtual field trip site to Hawaii. My students are doing WebQuest to research a state in the United States. The student exploring Hawaii could use this site as another resource.
-This virtual field trip site gives resources for fossils and earth science which is a 4th grade content expectation.
-Students are learning about the solar system and NASA has a site that can be used with many opportunities for exploration since there is videos, maps, graphs, and pictures.
-Online geography games is a site I have actually already used with my students.
What type of pedagogical strategies might you use with your students?
-Some would include: collaborating assignments with peers, discussion, case study, inductive, deductive, inquiry, identify main idea, write a summary, compare/contrast, cause/effect.
What technologies do you think would be harder to use with your students? Why?
-I think that my students would have difficulty using sites where you have to create your own password since you need an email to do so and my students do not have one. Sites need to be available to my students and navigation needs to be clear and organized. When I link a site to my Moodle page students are able to click on the link instead of having to type in the web address or searching it. Sites with videos, maps, questions, quizzes, and step by step directions are best for my students since they keep them interactive and on task.
-One site I could use was a virtual field trip site to Hawaii. My students are doing WebQuest to research a state in the United States. The student exploring Hawaii could use this site as another resource.
-This virtual field trip site gives resources for fossils and earth science which is a 4th grade content expectation.
-Students are learning about the solar system and NASA has a site that can be used with many opportunities for exploration since there is videos, maps, graphs, and pictures.
-Online geography games is a site I have actually already used with my students.
What type of pedagogical strategies might you use with your students?
-Some would include: collaborating assignments with peers, discussion, case study, inductive, deductive, inquiry, identify main idea, write a summary, compare/contrast, cause/effect.
What technologies do you think would be harder to use with your students? Why?
-I think that my students would have difficulty using sites where you have to create your own password since you need an email to do so and my students do not have one. Sites need to be available to my students and navigation needs to be clear and organized. When I link a site to my Moodle page students are able to click on the link instead of having to type in the web address or searching it. Sites with videos, maps, questions, quizzes, and step by step directions are best for my students since they keep them interactive and on task.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Wiki experience
I had worked with wikis during a class during my student teaching year as I was in a group that was doing a presentation on balanced literacy. I remember MSU College of Education technology support staff coming into our class and helping us set wikis up and talked about their use and possibilities. However, I have not since ten ventured in to create and update my own. I found it simple to create and manage. I just would like to use it with a focus. It might be for my professional MSU masters, my classroom, or another purpose.
My wiki link: https://msuteacher.wikispaces.com/
It was interesting to search and look for my school on Wikipedia. I found the community website. I added content on what the school mascot was for the high school. http://screencast.com/t/GIpEhJzPUNi
My wiki link: https://msuteacher.wikispaces.com/
It was interesting to search and look for my school on Wikipedia. I found the community website. I added content on what the school mascot was for the high school. http://screencast.com/t/GIpEhJzPUNi
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Universal Design for Learning and my MERLOT lesson
As a reflection on this process of reviewing my lesson plan using Universal Design for Learning it was a great moment of checking for best practice. The checklist that I completed was a great tool I plan to use as keep handy when I plan for lessons on the weekend. I was pleased to see that overall objectives were met, opportunities for sharing and reflection were possible, and multiple applications were set in place. However, some auditory supports were not in place for some of my students that are not reading at grade level and there was not a opportunity to apply the Wordle knowledge to another site such a Word Clouds.
The linked checklist above is divided by the larger print being the items that were applied in my lesson using UDL. The smaller bold print was the barriers and set backs that were not in my lesson.
I also went through the actual lesson that was uploaded to MERLOT and commented on the actual places were UDL was found.
The linked checklist above is divided by the larger print being the items that were applied in my lesson using UDL. The smaller bold print was the barriers and set backs that were not in my lesson.
I also went through the actual lesson that was uploaded to MERLOT and commented on the actual places were UDL was found.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
review of MERLOT resource
Quality of Content
Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
The software I reviewed was titled, "Reading, Writing and Rings: The Cassini Mission Literacy Program." It does seem to have valid concepts, models, and skills because it is from an extension of NASA. Since Language Arts has become a forefront of eduction science has taken a back seat. The lesson given integrate writing and reading so that science it integrated into these main curriculums. Skills of compare/contrast pieces and writing paragraphs are appropriate for 3rd and 4th grade skills.
Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
The skills presented such as note taking, developing a paragraph from a main idea, identifying important vocabulary and taking a stand on an issue are important Language Arts concepts that can be integrated in science.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
The stages of the learning process this material could be used for if for exploration and assessment. The skills of paragraphing, main idea, compare/contrast and taking a stand on a topic would already need to be taught. The science lesson given seem to be where then students expand upon their knowledge of these structures by applying new knowledge on the earth, moon, and sun in these Language Arts formats. It also can be used to assess both students knowledge on the science concepts and Languae Arts pieces addressed above.
Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem.
The science lessons on the website site themselves as, "brining together reading, writing, and science in ways that underscore the belief that scientific thinking and the intelligent use of language go hand-in-hand." Integration of these curriculum areas support language, vocabulary, and comprehension development.
Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem.
An example lesson was that students read about Saturn. Then they apply the reading skills of visualizing and wondering to the texts about Saturn as they use descriptive words to visualize Saturn and wonder about why it looks and is the way it is.
Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem.
From hearing information read about the planet Saturn students will draw a picture from the descriptions read. Then they will label their picture using the nonfiction text feature of captions and headings. Students internalize the the science concepts through text features of nonfiction.
Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems.
As a final unit assignment students design and test a parachute that would be able to drop from a height an withstand water. They use problem solving skills and writing to develop a plan to test and evaluate.
What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
The learning objectives are that students will integrate reading and writing into this earth, moon, sun science unit to internalize the science concepts taught. They will be using Language Arts skills while moving through the scientific process and through nonfiction texts.
What are the characteristics of the target learner(s).
These are knowledge of nonfiction text students, comprehension strategies, compare/contrast writing pieces and ability to learn and define new vocabulary.
Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
The videos and simulations come from NASA and have the quality since they are straight from a reliable source. The video seem to support the scientific learning more than the integration of Language Arts curriculum since they are about the earth, moon, sun systems,
Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
The videos can be shown from a computer through a projector. However, the texts that the lessons refer to are not linked or described as to where they can be found or where they are from.
Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
The software expands beyond videos since there are podcasts, posters to be printed off, and diagrams that be printed and cut out to be then put together.
Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
The teaching-learning goals are in the foreword of the lessons. However, Grade Level Content Expectations are not linked so I would as a teacher have to match which lessons match the Michigan GLCES.
Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
The assignments are already written with an outline but the actual directions and step by step process is not easily found or on the site.
Ease of Use:
Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
The menu for the site is on the right hand side and is not overwhelming since when you click on a title then a smaller menu appears. I found the site very user friendly and items were fast to download.
Does the user get trapped in the material? Can the user get lost easily in the material?
Some of the lessons are lengthly to read and the site also has links to solar systems, stars and other planets. You can spend a lot of time exploring it.
Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
I could not find a link like this on the site. There were many positive peer reviews as this materials can be used from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?
The lessons do go in sequence but I could see picking and choosing which ones to use and explore since you can focus on them from a literacy perspective or science one or from both.
Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
The videos and images are easy to browse through and are labeled. The lessons are tailored to teachers.
Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?
The video, virtual tour and image are load quickly and are easy to browse through by pages or by key words.
Does the software present valid (correct) concepts, models, and skills?
The software I reviewed was titled, "Reading, Writing and Rings: The Cassini Mission Literacy Program." It does seem to have valid concepts, models, and skills because it is from an extension of NASA. Since Language Arts has become a forefront of eduction science has taken a back seat. The lesson given integrate writing and reading so that science it integrated into these main curriculums. Skills of compare/contrast pieces and writing paragraphs are appropriate for 3rd and 4th grade skills.
Does the software present educationally significant concepts, models, and skills for the discipline?
The skills presented such as note taking, developing a paragraph from a main idea, identifying important vocabulary and taking a stand on an issue are important Language Arts concepts that can be integrated in science.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching-Learning Tool:
What stage(s) in the learning process/cycle could the materials be used?
The stages of the learning process this material could be used for if for exploration and assessment. The skills of paragraphing, main idea, compare/contrast and taking a stand on a topic would already need to be taught. The science lesson given seem to be where then students expand upon their knowledge of these structures by applying new knowledge on the earth, moon, and sun in these Language Arts formats. It also can be used to assess both students knowledge on the science concepts and Languae Arts pieces addressed above.
Explanation or description of the topic/stating the problem.
The science lessons on the website site themselves as, "brining together reading, writing, and science in ways that underscore the belief that scientific thinking and the intelligent use of language go hand-in-hand." Integration of these curriculum areas support language, vocabulary, and comprehension development.
Demonstration of the curriculum/exploration of the problem.
An example lesson was that students read about Saturn. Then they apply the reading skills of visualizing and wondering to the texts about Saturn as they use descriptive words to visualize Saturn and wonder about why it looks and is the way it is.
Practice using the curriculum/analysis of the outcomes from solving the problem.
From hearing information read about the planet Saturn students will draw a picture from the descriptions read. Then they will label their picture using the nonfiction text feature of captions and headings. Students internalize the the science concepts through text features of nonfiction.
Applying the curriculum to "new" problems/application of the outcomes to other problems.
As a final unit assignment students design and test a parachute that would be able to drop from a height an withstand water. They use problem solving skills and writing to develop a plan to test and evaluate.
What is(are) the learning objective(s)? What should students be able to do after successfully learning with the materials?
The learning objectives are that students will integrate reading and writing into this earth, moon, sun science unit to internalize the science concepts taught. They will be using Language Arts skills while moving through the scientific process and through nonfiction texts.
What are the characteristics of the target learner(s).
These are knowledge of nonfiction text students, comprehension strategies, compare/contrast writing pieces and ability to learn and define new vocabulary.
Does the interactive/media-rich presentation of material improve faculty and students' abilities to teach and learn the materials?
The videos and simulations come from NASA and have the quality since they are straight from a reliable source. The video seem to support the scientific learning more than the integration of Language Arts curriculum since they are about the earth, moon, sun systems,
Can the use of the software be readily integrated into current curriculum and pedagogy within the discipline?
The videos can be shown from a computer through a projector. However, the texts that the lessons refer to are not linked or described as to where they can be found or where they are from.
Can the software be used in a variety of ways to achieve teaching and learning goals?
The software expands beyond videos since there are podcasts, posters to be printed off, and diagrams that be printed and cut out to be then put together.
Are the teaching-learning goals easy to identify?
The teaching-learning goals are in the foreword of the lessons. However, Grade Level Content Expectations are not linked so I would as a teacher have to match which lessons match the Michigan GLCES.
Can good learning assignments for using the software application be written easily?
The assignments are already written with an outline but the actual directions and step by step process is not easily found or on the site.
Ease of Use:
Are the labels, buttons, menus, text, and general layout of the computer interface consistent and visually distinct?
The menu for the site is on the right hand side and is not overwhelming since when you click on a title then a smaller menu appears. I found the site very user friendly and items were fast to download.
Does the user get trapped in the material? Can the user get lost easily in the material?
Some of the lessons are lengthly to read and the site also has links to solar systems, stars and other planets. You can spend a lot of time exploring it.
Does the module provide feedback about the system status and the user's responses?
I could not find a link like this on the site. There were many positive peer reviews as this materials can be used from kindergarten to 12th grade.
Does the module provide appropriate flexibility in its use?
The lessons do go in sequence but I could see picking and choosing which ones to use and explore since you can focus on them from a literacy perspective or science one or from both.
Does the learning material require a lot of documentation, technical support, and/or instruction for most students to successfully use the software?
The videos and images are easy to browse through and are labeled. The lessons are tailored to teachers.
Does the material present information in ways that are familiar for students? Does the material present information in ways that would be attractive to students?
The video, virtual tour and image are load quickly and are easy to browse through by pages or by key words.
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