This assignment was a struggle. Trying to integrate a number of different technologies, and try and use something new to the class seemed like an "Impossible Mission." Let me know if you think I managed to pull it off. Enjoy the presentation!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
In trying to assess the tools we used in this class, I found that in most cases, it is completely subjective. Some people liked this tool best, others liked that tool instead, etc., etc.. However, I will give my personal ratings on these tools - as I see their usefulness.
Moodle is a good tool for organizing and setting up an online way of keeping track of everything for your classroom. It does however, have it’s little difficulties, in my opinion. The layout is a bit busy, confusing the student sometimes, and can make things hard to find. Another drawback is the cost. I’m sorry, but teachers pay for enough stuff from their own pocket, this should not be one of them. I give it a rating of 3 stars out of 5 ***.

RCampus, on the other hand, is much simpler to set up, has customizable pages, and just looks better. It also offers a separate homepage for each student, that they can set up with a variety of backgrounds, and layout options. It took 30 minutes to set up six classes, 3 assignments - with grading rubrics, and build the teacher’s personal web page. I WILL be using this program in the classroom! I give it a solid 5 stars *****!

For a web browser, Firefox has a lot going for it. It is somewhat secure, it has a variety of skins you can put on it, quite a number of add-on applications to expand the usefulness of the browser, and it is pretty fast as browsers go. I give Firefox a rating of 4 out of 5 stars ****.

Safari may not have all the bells and whistles that Firefox does, but it’s features are very good. It is a very secure browser, with a good intuitive interface. I still say that Safari is much faster than Firefox, even though the latter has increased it’s speed tremendously in the last couple of years. Though Safari does not have a list of add-ons in it’s own separate pull-down menu, the add-ons are there, just integrated into the browser program with each update. I would rate it as a 5 stars out of 5 *****.

Whoever came up with social bookmarking is a genius! The del.icio.us website is extremely easy to use, and gives one the ability to cut research time tremendously by browsing other people’s bookmarks. By simply typing in a tag in the search area, the student, or teacher, is able to find all the results in my bookmarks, my network’s bookmarks, or all the results in the del.icio.us website. I think Delicious deserves 5 of 5 *****!

Speaking of social networking, I found a place where you can set up your own social network at Ning.com. I have joined several groups already pertaining to my personal interests, and am amazed at the simplicity and ease of use. I give it 4 stars out of 5 ****.

One of the first online accounts we had to sign up for in the class, was a Gmail account, by Google. Google has come on strong with a complete suite of applications that all work from the same sign-in. Gmail is a great online based email client that offers a number of backgrounds, chat within your email, and video chat as well. The complete suite of apps include such things as:
A solid, well featured word processing program, a spreadsheet app., and a presentation app., and Google’s Blogger application is pretty good, with an easy to use format, and different layouts, not to mention Google groups, Google video, iGoogle, Google calendar, page creator, Google Reader, and Picasa. For a free set of online applications, available from any computer that is connected to the internet, anywhere, this suite holds it’s own in the usefulness category. I would give it a 4 out of 5 **** stars.

If Google’s Blogger is a good basic online blog application, the Wordpress.com would have to be described as a blog on steroids. It has quite a large selection of available layouts, from the basic, to the fun, to the very professional. It is very easy to use, and has a long list of available features that make it effortless to post your next blog in style. It is incredibly simple, straightforward, and simple to add slide shows, videos, and link to other sites. This site could be used for a wide range of purposes, and has the layouts to facilitate an uncomplicated setup. I rate this one at an easy 5 *****!

Last, but definitely not the least, is Slide.com. A useful tool for many different applications in the classroom, this online slideshow program makes any presentation better! A breeze to use, it will add that extra dimension to your website, blog, or lesson plan. I have to give this one a good 4 out of 5 **** stars.

Moodle is a good tool for organizing and setting up an online way of keeping track of everything for your classroom. It does however, have it’s little difficulties, in my opinion. The layout is a bit busy, confusing the student sometimes, and can make things hard to find. Another drawback is the cost. I’m sorry, but teachers pay for enough stuff from their own pocket, this should not be one of them. I give it a rating of 3 stars out of 5 ***.

RCampus, on the other hand, is much simpler to set up, has customizable pages, and just looks better. It also offers a separate homepage for each student, that they can set up with a variety of backgrounds, and layout options. It took 30 minutes to set up six classes, 3 assignments - with grading rubrics, and build the teacher’s personal web page. I WILL be using this program in the classroom! I give it a solid 5 stars *****!

For a web browser, Firefox has a lot going for it. It is somewhat secure, it has a variety of skins you can put on it, quite a number of add-on applications to expand the usefulness of the browser, and it is pretty fast as browsers go. I give Firefox a rating of 4 out of 5 stars ****.

Safari may not have all the bells and whistles that Firefox does, but it’s features are very good. It is a very secure browser, with a good intuitive interface. I still say that Safari is much faster than Firefox, even though the latter has increased it’s speed tremendously in the last couple of years. Though Safari does not have a list of add-ons in it’s own separate pull-down menu, the add-ons are there, just integrated into the browser program with each update. I would rate it as a 5 stars out of 5 *****.

Whoever came up with social bookmarking is a genius! The del.icio.us website is extremely easy to use, and gives one the ability to cut research time tremendously by browsing other people’s bookmarks. By simply typing in a tag in the search area, the student, or teacher, is able to find all the results in my bookmarks, my network’s bookmarks, or all the results in the del.icio.us website. I think Delicious deserves 5 of 5 *****!

Speaking of social networking, I found a place where you can set up your own social network at Ning.com. I have joined several groups already pertaining to my personal interests, and am amazed at the simplicity and ease of use. I give it 4 stars out of 5 ****.

One of the first online accounts we had to sign up for in the class, was a Gmail account, by Google. Google has come on strong with a complete suite of applications that all work from the same sign-in. Gmail is a great online based email client that offers a number of backgrounds, chat within your email, and video chat as well. The complete suite of apps include such things as:
A solid, well featured word processing program, a spreadsheet app., and a presentation app., and Google’s Blogger application is pretty good, with an easy to use format, and different layouts, not to mention Google groups, Google video, iGoogle, Google calendar, page creator, Google Reader, and Picasa. For a free set of online applications, available from any computer that is connected to the internet, anywhere, this suite holds it’s own in the usefulness category. I would give it a 4 out of 5 **** stars.

If Google’s Blogger is a good basic online blog application, the Wordpress.com would have to be described as a blog on steroids. It has quite a large selection of available layouts, from the basic, to the fun, to the very professional. It is very easy to use, and has a long list of available features that make it effortless to post your next blog in style. It is incredibly simple, straightforward, and simple to add slide shows, videos, and link to other sites. This site could be used for a wide range of purposes, and has the layouts to facilitate an uncomplicated setup. I rate this one at an easy 5 *****!

Last, but definitely not the least, is Slide.com. A useful tool for many different applications in the classroom, this online slideshow program makes any presentation better! A breeze to use, it will add that extra dimension to your website, blog, or lesson plan. I have to give this one a good 4 out of 5 **** stars.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Multi-What Lesson Plan?
At first, the thought of trying to get different technologies integrated in a lesson plan seemed outrageous. Why? Don't the old tried and true teaching methods work anymore? I had reservations about even trying to attempt the task. However, as I familiarized myself more thoroughly with the many tools we have used and abused this semester, it became easier to envision what I needed to do.
In looking through the standards, and the requirements for the lesson, I think that Standard #2 best applies to what I am doing in the lesson plan. It best describes the items that a teacher needs to consider when writing a lesson plan with technology included.
As the teacher goes through the curriculum and tries to visualize how the lesson will flow, they must try different tools to enhance the learning process. This means that a lot of thought and preparation go into discovering new and interesting ways to present the materials. This lesson plan was written and prepared with several tools in mind. The students must use an online slide-show program, a blog, and have access to the class website to upload the URL of the finished project.
The main problem I had in doing this assignment is the fact that it assumes that we MUST use technology in the classroom. Many schools (most on Guam) do not have computers in the classroom for the students to use, and most new teachers cannot afford to buy the equipment required to provide the learning experience of using the tools to the students. All that being said, I did learn that technology used in the classroom, and in every lesson plan, even in small ways, can greatly increase the amount of learning that goes on in your class.
In looking through the standards, and the requirements for the lesson, I think that Standard #2 best applies to what I am doing in the lesson plan. It best describes the items that a teacher needs to consider when writing a lesson plan with technology included.
As the teacher goes through the curriculum and tries to visualize how the lesson will flow, they must try different tools to enhance the learning process. This means that a lot of thought and preparation go into discovering new and interesting ways to present the materials. This lesson plan was written and prepared with several tools in mind. The students must use an online slide-show program, a blog, and have access to the class website to upload the URL of the finished project.
The main problem I had in doing this assignment is the fact that it assumes that we MUST use technology in the classroom. Many schools (most on Guam) do not have computers in the classroom for the students to use, and most new teachers cannot afford to buy the equipment required to provide the learning experience of using the tools to the students. All that being said, I did learn that technology used in the classroom, and in every lesson plan, even in small ways, can greatly increase the amount of learning that goes on in your class.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
My Ramblings on AAT
The hardest part about using AAT in the lesson plan, is to know the exact limitations of the technology. That means a lot of extra time on the teacher's part doing research on the technology. Once the limits are established then the teacher is able to write up a plan that allows the student to use the technology to it's fullest potential in successfully completing the assignment.
The revised plan should be as comparable to the original lesson plan as possible, given the limits of the technology. Here, you now must include the limitations of the student, and sometimes it's hard to come up with a 4th grade version of an 11th grade content area.
Once you have identified the limitations of the student, you need to identify how you will need to change your teaching, and your plan to include lesson components that will allow the student to succeed at the lesson. This may include using a variety of multimedia in the classroom to accommodate various learning styles.
At this point, you have to make sure you are meeting the learning needs of all of your students, not just the disabled ones. To include the disabled students, you may want to make sure they are grouped with other students who can ensure they are included in group work, and understand what they are working on.
Lesson plans must be revised to include disabled students to ensure that they can receive the same educational opportunities as students who are not disabled.
That being said, I disagree with giving a high school diploma to a student who will never advance beyond a third grade level of maturity and understanding, or a student whose one-on-one aide actually has to do the lessons for the student because the student is incapable of doing so. At some point the only reason to have the student continue on in school is for the socialization. The student can still receive a certificate of completion, but I don't believe it's fair to the student or their classmates to give them a Diploma for successfully completing high school. The school system has become so paranoid about lawsuits, that they will automatically advance even mildly disabled students, ie. ADD or ADHD, even if they do not complete the minimum required by their IEP or miss twice more instructional time than allowed. This attitude allows students to manipulate the system and not even try and do better. I fully believe that this is something that needs to be fixed before the disabled students teach the regular students how to manipulate the system.
As long as the student is capable of understanding the material, and can participate in some constructive way, I believe that they should be included in the planning of every lesson.
To ensure that your lesson plan is appropriate, the assessment should take into consideration the technology involved, and the capabilities of the student. The assessment should stay within the limitations of the technology, but should allow you to push the student's capabilities and get them to stretch themselves, to reach out a little farther than they are capable of now. That is true success, to get the student, through various means, to accomplish a task that was previously beyond their capability. In short, the same task you give the other students to stretch them, should also stretch your disabled students.
The revised plan should be as comparable to the original lesson plan as possible, given the limits of the technology. Here, you now must include the limitations of the student, and sometimes it's hard to come up with a 4th grade version of an 11th grade content area.
Once you have identified the limitations of the student, you need to identify how you will need to change your teaching, and your plan to include lesson components that will allow the student to succeed at the lesson. This may include using a variety of multimedia in the classroom to accommodate various learning styles.
At this point, you have to make sure you are meeting the learning needs of all of your students, not just the disabled ones. To include the disabled students, you may want to make sure they are grouped with other students who can ensure they are included in group work, and understand what they are working on.
Lesson plans must be revised to include disabled students to ensure that they can receive the same educational opportunities as students who are not disabled.
That being said, I disagree with giving a high school diploma to a student who will never advance beyond a third grade level of maturity and understanding, or a student whose one-on-one aide actually has to do the lessons for the student because the student is incapable of doing so. At some point the only reason to have the student continue on in school is for the socialization. The student can still receive a certificate of completion, but I don't believe it's fair to the student or their classmates to give them a Diploma for successfully completing high school. The school system has become so paranoid about lawsuits, that they will automatically advance even mildly disabled students, ie. ADD or ADHD, even if they do not complete the minimum required by their IEP or miss twice more instructional time than allowed. This attitude allows students to manipulate the system and not even try and do better. I fully believe that this is something that needs to be fixed before the disabled students teach the regular students how to manipulate the system.
As long as the student is capable of understanding the material, and can participate in some constructive way, I believe that they should be included in the planning of every lesson.
To ensure that your lesson plan is appropriate, the assessment should take into consideration the technology involved, and the capabilities of the student. The assessment should stay within the limitations of the technology, but should allow you to push the student's capabilities and get them to stretch themselves, to reach out a little farther than they are capable of now. That is true success, to get the student, through various means, to accomplish a task that was previously beyond their capability. In short, the same task you give the other students to stretch them, should also stretch your disabled students.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
MultiMedia Lesson Plan - Lesson Plan #2
Multimedia Lesson Plan
Lesson Plan #2
Objectives: By the end of the semester, the students will be able to
1. Operate a digital camera for recording art project progress from beginning to end.
2. Demonstrate how to use a computer to download photos from the camera to a slideshow program online.
3. Register for a blog online.
4. Embed a slideshow from a project in a blog entry.
Methods - Lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on participation
Media - A blog will be created for each project with an embedded slideshow of at least six photos, showing the progression of steps in the project.
Materials – Each student will need a flash drive, a digital camera and a computer will be available for students to use in the classroom on a sign up basis.
The instructor will ensure that the students can utilize media and materials correctly by:
1. Reviewing rules and procedures for using the digital camera at least once per project, during the semester.
2. Demonstrating the procedures for transferring pictures to the online slideshow account at least once per project, during the semester.
3. Verifying that all students can demonstrate procedures for embedding the slideshow in their blog.
Assessment will consist of several short quizzes, one before the first project is entered in the blog, one at the halfway point, and a reflection paper at the end of the semester that will be posted on their blog.
Evaluation will also include the quality of the content, and the quality and creativity of the projects.
Lesson Plan #2
Objectives: By the end of the semester, the students will be able to
1. Operate a digital camera for recording art project progress from beginning to end.
2. Demonstrate how to use a computer to download photos from the camera to a slideshow program online.
3. Register for a blog online.
4. Embed a slideshow from a project in a blog entry.
Methods - Lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on participation
Media - A blog will be created for each project with an embedded slideshow of at least six photos, showing the progression of steps in the project.
Materials – Each student will need a flash drive, a digital camera and a computer will be available for students to use in the classroom on a sign up basis.
The instructor will ensure that the students can utilize media and materials correctly by:
1. Reviewing rules and procedures for using the digital camera at least once per project, during the semester.
2. Demonstrating the procedures for transferring pictures to the online slideshow account at least once per project, during the semester.
3. Verifying that all students can demonstrate procedures for embedding the slideshow in their blog.
Assessment will consist of several short quizzes, one before the first project is entered in the blog, one at the halfway point, and a reflection paper at the end of the semester that will be posted on their blog.
Evaluation will also include the quality of the content, and the quality and creativity of the projects.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Technology and the Classroom
I have always been one for trying new things in the classroom, if it helps the students understand the subject more completely, and I believe that computers in the classroom can and will have a great impact on the way our kids learn, both today and in the future. Technology today, unfortunately, is quickly outpacing the teacher’s ability to keep up with new developments, tools, and programs. The teacher of today must now find ways to integrate this technology into new lesson plans, and projects for the students, while trying to find the time to keep up with the business of teaching day-to-day. This new usage of technology can be both a blessing and a curse.
I agree that schools should have computers for the students to use for homework, group projects, and exploration of the wealth of information available to them through all the various forms of electronic media. However, until school systems can afford the enormous cost of hundreds, or even thousands, of computers for each school, true full usage of technology in the classroom as envisioned by the International Society for Technology in Education(1), will be nothing more than a pipe dream. It is true that more teachers and students today know and use these technologies regularly, if not daily, but there is still a large portion of the population, especially on Guam, who do not own a computer of any kind.
At this point, we as teachers must strive to build into sections of our lesson plans technology uses that help us teach concepts, while being sensitive to the limitations of equipment access to some of our students. In this class so far, we have learned how to meet the NETS*T standards 2A and 2B(2) in our lessons. I am hoping that I can learn even more ways to use technology in a classroom that most likely will not have a computer.
References
(1) International Society for Technology in Education. (2009). Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
http://www.iste.org/
(2) ISTE/NETS for Teachers 2008 Standards. (2008) Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS
_for_Teachers_2008.htm
I agree that schools should have computers for the students to use for homework, group projects, and exploration of the wealth of information available to them through all the various forms of electronic media. However, until school systems can afford the enormous cost of hundreds, or even thousands, of computers for each school, true full usage of technology in the classroom as envisioned by the International Society for Technology in Education(1), will be nothing more than a pipe dream. It is true that more teachers and students today know and use these technologies regularly, if not daily, but there is still a large portion of the population, especially on Guam, who do not own a computer of any kind.
At this point, we as teachers must strive to build into sections of our lesson plans technology uses that help us teach concepts, while being sensitive to the limitations of equipment access to some of our students. In this class so far, we have learned how to meet the NETS*T standards 2A and 2B(2) in our lessons. I am hoping that I can learn even more ways to use technology in a classroom that most likely will not have a computer.
References
(1) International Society for Technology in Education. (2009). Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
http://www.iste.org/
(2) ISTE/NETS for Teachers 2008 Standards. (2008) Retrieved February 22, 2009, from
http://www.iste.org/Content/NavigationMenu/NETS/ForTeachers/2008Standards/NETS
_for_Teachers_2008.htm
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Lesson Plan Assignment #1
Analyze Learners
Class of 25 students
Well mixed m/f ratio, and well mixed racially
Audio, Visual, and Kinesthetic learners present
Previous lessons on use of Exel spreadsheets, and proper seed sprouting
procedures
State Objectives
At the end of 10 days, students will be able to analyze data from recorded
observations, and make an informed decision on which seed source has the best
performing seeds.
Select instructional methods, media, and materials
Methods - Lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on participation
Media – A report will be presented on a PowerPoint slide show, with Exel
spreadsheet data, and charts.
Materials – Each group will receive: paper towels, 50 kernels of seed corn – 10
from each of 5 different seed sources, and blank, printed datasheets.
Utilize media and materials
Set up area for the project.
Review procedures for seed sprouting, and data collection.
Demonstrate use of materials used for the project.
Issue materials to the groups, then start the project.
Require learner participation
Ensure each group member has a specific task to perform for the project.
Review procedures on sprouting and data collection several times during the
length of the project.
Give short worksheet quizzes on specifics of the project at the halfway point
and at the end of the project.
Evaluate and Revise
Assessment will be a combination of two quizzes, and the quality and content of
the final presentation.
Class of 25 students
Well mixed m/f ratio, and well mixed racially
Audio, Visual, and Kinesthetic learners present
Previous lessons on use of Exel spreadsheets, and proper seed sprouting
procedures
State Objectives
At the end of 10 days, students will be able to analyze data from recorded
observations, and make an informed decision on which seed source has the best
performing seeds.
Select instructional methods, media, and materials
Methods - Lecture, demonstrations, and hands-on participation
Media – A report will be presented on a PowerPoint slide show, with Exel
spreadsheet data, and charts.
Materials – Each group will receive: paper towels, 50 kernels of seed corn – 10
from each of 5 different seed sources, and blank, printed datasheets.
Utilize media and materials
Set up area for the project.
Review procedures for seed sprouting, and data collection.
Demonstrate use of materials used for the project.
Issue materials to the groups, then start the project.
Require learner participation
Ensure each group member has a specific task to perform for the project.
Review procedures on sprouting and data collection several times during the
length of the project.
Give short worksheet quizzes on specifics of the project at the halfway point
and at the end of the project.
Evaluate and Revise
Assessment will be a combination of two quizzes, and the quality and content of
the final presentation.
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