Summary of Learning for Educational Technology

Summary of Learning

I decided to use a concept map to do my summary of learning through because I thought it would be a great way to learn how to use a new tool. My concept map can be found here so check it out. I also think doing my summary of learning this way is also fitting because it captures the learning process I have gone through during this class; learning how to use a lot of new technology that I can use in my classroom was a great benefit from this class. Lastly it allows me to put a lot of content in one spot in a way that is clean and organized so I can go back to it or others are able to look at it. UAEdTech taught me a lot this year, but I think the biggest thing it taught me was to stay open and flexible. I had to be open and flexible to trying new things such as blogging, or new tools I have never used before. this class taught me that trying new things isn't as scary as I thought it would be, and once I tried it I felt so good about myself for learning something new. 

 

Translating this to my classroom is a great skill to have so I will not be afraid to change things up in my instruction for the betterment of my students. Being flexible and open to my profession and my personal life are great skills to have in life. I plan to use a lot of the tools and resources I learned from this class in classroom one day. I can especially see myself using the productivity tools so I will be able to use my time wisely while I am grading papers or lesson planning.

 

When I first started this class, I was not looking forward to learning new things with technology because I have never been very good at it. I took the class only because I had to take it to get my degree. I didn't think I would get anything out of it, little did I know I was very very wrong. I learned so much in the last semester about many different aspects of education than I ever have before. I really truly enjoyed this class, and these skills I learned here I will take them with me for the rest of my life.

 

 

 

 

Final Major Project Post

 

 

This is my finished scarf from this project. I am really proud of myself and all the hard work and time I put into this project and my new scarf. I wish that it was a little longer but I ran out of yarn since I doubled it up so that is okay. Understanding that I am able to learn new skills outside of school is a great feeling. This project really opened my eyes to new possibilities for me. After this I feel as though I will be more comfortable trying new things, which is a great feeling. Now I would like to try to learn how to knit with just knitting needles, because once I am able to do that then I will be able to knit socks or blankets which is really cool. I will use this experience as a springboard  to energize myself by learning new and different things from here on out.

Knitting: A Work in Progress

 

 

 

I have decided to videotape myself while I was knitting on night this week. The video is above but my video is on my YouTube channel. When I first started this project I found knitting a little difficult, but at this point I am able to do with ease. I have enjoyed working on this project and learning this new skill. The stitches that I am using are tight so the scarf doesn't have many holes so this scarf will definitely keep me warm in the winter. I can not wait till I finish my scarf and I will be able to actually wear it! I have fallen in love with the color and the texture of the scarf already. I think anyone who has ever thought about wanting to learn should definitely try it out because it is not as hard as it looks.  

Productive Teacher = Organized Teaching- Week 12

 

 

Productive Teacher = Organized Teaching

 This week we went through Jake's presentation where he talked about his problem solving abilities with online resources. As I went through his presentation I found it very interesting that he was always able to find a fix for what was wrong in his classroom. This motivates me to look for solutions in my own learning and solutions in my own classroom one day. Using technology is a great way to stay on top of tasks and deadlines that are coming up. There are websites that can help you with anything from making check-off lists to helping you stay focused on a task that you must complete online. The top five most effective sites for teachers to use, is very helpful for teachers who feel like they never have enough time in the day to get everything they need done.

 

After looking over the list of productive sites, there are a few that I could see myself using one day. Rescue Time is one that I could see myself needing to use, because I can get distracted easily by other things online. This tool forces you to focus on what needs to get done and it does not allow you to go on social media sites. The tools also times you on each application and gives you a report after you have completed your task so you are able to see where you lost time and were unproductive. This would be a perfect tool to use when I am researching things for my lesson plans or when I am entering in grades to the grade book.

 

 

Technology can also help teachers to problem solve both in the classroom and in their perpetration or lesson plans. The great thing about technology is that it is not permanent so a teacher is able to move from one application to another without worrying about losing a lot of time and resources. This enables teachers to test run different applications with their students to see which ones work best for their students and their learning style.  

 

Technology can also help teachers change up the teaching instruction with their students to make them more engaged and excited about learning. There are also Apps that teachers can use with their students' parents to give them updates on what is new in the classroom and what is coming up, so parents are able to know what is going on with their children's education. 

Blended Learning Environments- Week 11

 Blended Learning Environment

 

 

"Students who need more flexibility in their schedules, want real world learning situations or need a confidence boost are well suited for blended learning, said Stacy Hawthorne"- Tanya Rosocrla

In a blended classroom, the students have more flexibility in their education than in a traditional classroom. For these students, a part of their day is spent in the classroom where they can receive face to face instruction from their teachers, and the other part of the day they are able to have online instruction. No two blended learning environments are alike, as each is made specifically to fit the needs of that classroom of students. I believe that having a blended classroom is so essential for any classroom because there is such a high demand for people to have technological skills. I also believe it is important because it does allow students to have more freedom with their learning which is a great way to keep them engaged and interested.

 

In our Educational Technology class we also have a blended learning environment. We are able to learn in our own environment and at our own pace. We hear lectures from a variety of diverse people who know the field of education and the integration of technology well. The one thing that I could see that might need to be improved would be more face to face interactions with the professor for this class, because that is still a big part of a blended learning classroom. The fact that it is all online can also be overwhelming to a student who learns much better with face to face interactions where they are able to ask questions freely.

 

This week we heard our lecture from Stacy Hawthorne about building blended learning environments. During her lecture, I found it very interesting when she started to talk about the different types of blended learning environments. There are some that are very minimal without interrupting the daily schedule and there are others where students only come to school for half a day and the other half they are able to work on their own.  This was very interesting to me because I thought that there was only one way to blend the classroom. This shows me that every teacher has a different teaching style so they will decide how they will instruction, helping me understand why certain things happen in the classroom. Knowing this enables me to better understand my teachers and their instruction.

 

 

 

  

Finding the Balance in Assessing- Week 10

Finding the Balance

 

 

As a student in K to 12 it seems all we get done in any given year is testing. Students feel overwhelmed by the over testing of standardized tests that goes on in our schools today. Teachers and school do need to collect data to see where their students are but I think the current state of affairs is too heavy for children. Some school districts even test their students multiple times a year with standardized tests. My belief is that we should test children to see if they understand the material but only when it is absolutely necessary. 

 

I really like assessing students in a very casual way such as using formative assessments. Asking a question to the class while going through a lecture or asking a student to solve a problem on the board, are great ways to gage how the class as a whole are understanding the material. On the other hand, there are times when a teacher needs to use chapter tests, or summative assessment, to see where the students are. This helps the teacher see over a chunk of time how well the students are doing in a given area of study. 

 

In our lecture video this week we were introduced to two tools teachers can use as a formative assessment in the classroom, PearDeck and EduCanon. PearDeck allows the teacher to ask questions and the students are able to answer in real time. With this site the students are able to place their dot where they please and they are able to write in responses to help spark discussion in the classroom. EduCanon in the same way allows the teacher to survey the class. The teacher asks the class a question verbally and the students are able to pick "thumbs up" or "thumbs down."  I think both of these tools are a really great thing to use in the classroom. These are great ways to keep the students involved in the class discussion.

 

 

Throughout Scott's lecture, I found many things interesting. The main thing that stood out to me is the fact that there are technologies such as these two in which a teacher can use to get feedback from her students. From this lecture I also got that assessments shouldn't be something students always fear; but instead they should have fun with these tools and the students should feel as though they are learning and they are challenged but in a good productive way. 

Knitting: Major Project- Week 9

 

 

 

 

My Knitting Journey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the start of this project, I thought that I wanted to learn how to knit using the traditional knitting needles. But then I talked to my friend who knits and she informed me that it is much easier to start off learning to knit from a loom then to work my way up to using just needles. I found a very helpful video on YouTube that walked me step by step, without the help from the video I would have been lost.

At first learning how to weave the yarn through the loom was somewhat difficult. But the good thing is, once a person gets used to the flow of the loom and the yarn then it becomes very easy. I found myself becoming relaxed and having a self of accomplishment the more rows I had.

In the video the woman suggested that a person uses two sets of yarn in order to make the scarf thicker so I did what she suggested.

 

I have really enjoyed the last week of working on my knitting. I find it almost therapeutic to be able to do something as simple as wrapping string around some pegs and have the end result be a scarf to keep someone warm.

 

I hope I will video my progress as I go. I might also finish this scarf then start something use. I might possibly try new stitches with the knitting to see it I can make the look of the scarf different. All in all I am finding great joy in working on this project.