What is your reaction to the 10 Big Shifts in Education? Which shift(s) will be easier and harder for you to integrate in your future teaching/classroom? Please explain.
I think that Richardson raises some valid points with his Big Shift ideas and that the way we teach in the classroom and interact with our subject matter is all about to change. Big Shifts 1, 2, and 3 I think will be the easiest for me to integrate into my classroom. Science is built on the idea of sharing knowledge and ideas with one another, giving feedback, and collaborating. The internet is making it easier for students to do just that with each other, other schools, and also experts out in the scientific community. The hardest one to integrate might be Big Shift 6, not because I do not see it fitting into my classroom, but because of the vast amount of knowledge that is out there now and constantly being added too. It will take time to sift through articles to find ones that are relevant to current topics in the classroom. It is doable, but I see that as taking the most time work through.
Showing posts with label edci 5825. Show all posts
Showing posts with label edci 5825. Show all posts
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Video Reflection
• What would you do differently if you could do it all over again? Are these changes based on feedback that you may have received from friends, peers, family members, etc?
If I could do this over, I would have spent some more time reviewing the footage after it had been shot. As I was editing it, there were times where I wish I had some better takes for what we had filmed.
• What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
The whole process is very time consuming. I have worked with iMovie before and have made movies with my friends in college. I knew a little of what I was doing, but I still found myself going back redoing parts as I found better ways to do different things. Overall though, I do find it fun to work on these kinds of projects.
• Do you think it would be possible to have students in your current/future classroom create a movie? Do you (will you) have the resources, time, and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom? Please explain.
I may not have them create a movie in the classroom, but I might give it as an option for a project if students wanted to take that route instead of doing a paper. I think it can be a really fun and creative way to express oneself and ideas.
• Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.
The last time I used iMovie, there were not nearly the number of editing features available, such as transitions and title slides. The layout has also changed a bit. So what I was able to learn was how to better use the newer version of the program and what it has to offer over the older one that I had used in the past.
If I could do this over, I would have spent some more time reviewing the footage after it had been shot. As I was editing it, there were times where I wish I had some better takes for what we had filmed.
• What is your reaction to the video recording/editing process? Please discuss any positive and negative reactions.
The whole process is very time consuming. I have worked with iMovie before and have made movies with my friends in college. I knew a little of what I was doing, but I still found myself going back redoing parts as I found better ways to do different things. Overall though, I do find it fun to work on these kinds of projects.
• Do you think it would be possible to have students in your current/future classroom create a movie? Do you (will you) have the resources, time, and skills necessary to include such a project in your classroom? Please explain.
I may not have them create a movie in the classroom, but I might give it as an option for a project if students wanted to take that route instead of doing a paper. I think it can be a really fun and creative way to express oneself and ideas.
• Did you learn anything new from the video editing/recording process? Please explain.
The last time I used iMovie, there were not nearly the number of editing features available, such as transitions and title slides. The layout has also changed a bit. So what I was able to learn was how to better use the newer version of the program and what it has to offer over the older one that I had used in the past.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
The World Premier of my New Wiki Page!
Today I am unveiling my new wiki! I think it is pretty exciting and I hope to utilize it in my future classroom. I can definitely see myself tinkering with it and tweaking it as time goes on. Check it out, let me know what you think, and I hope you enjoy it!
My wiki: BioClassroomWiki
• Do you plan on using your classroom blog/wiki in your future classroom? If so, what types of modifications do you envision? Please explain.
I can see myself using this wiki in my future classroom alongside the website I created. I see the wiki as a place where I can upload files that I use in the classroom, such as handouts, presentations, or videos watched in class. I see the wiki being helpful for both parents and students because they will be able to access all the material that is used in class to either review for a test or to get the work that they might have missed if they were absent from class. As of now, the only modifications will be to update information such as my email as it changes and to add classroom material as I create or come across it in my teaching career. I’m sure I’ll find other things to change and edit as I use it.
• Do you plan on having your students create their own blogs/wikis in your future classroom? If so, please explain.
I’m not sure if I will have students create a blog or wiki. At this point, probably not and I will just have them post their work that they complete on the wiki under the student center section. This could change however and I may find a good use for either or both in the future. It is something that I will keep in mind as I teach and create my curriculum.
• Discussion of how your view of instructional technology has or has not changed over the semester
I always saw incorporating technology as essential to classroom teaching. However, before this class I did not have much experience with creating blogs, wikis, or websites. In that sense my view has been widened to think of these things in my future lesson planning.
• Discuss the quality and appropriateness of what you have learned and created this semester.
I think that this class gave me a lot of great tools to use in my future classroom. I’m not sure if I will incorporate all that I have learned and played with, such as making a movie, but I think it is good that I know about all of it. I now have a better idea of the different forms of media that are out there for reaching my students in a variety of ways. It also gives me a better sense of what I might be asking students when if I assign them to create a movie, podcast, or blog.
• Evaluation of your comfort moving forward with technology
I think I will be fairly comfortable with the technology that we have learned. I have always enjoyed learning about new pieces of technology and software and I hope to keep up to date with it all. If nothing else, this class has given me a good foundation to work from to figure out how to use other educational technology.
My wiki: BioClassroomWiki
• Do you plan on using your classroom blog/wiki in your future classroom? If so, what types of modifications do you envision? Please explain.
I can see myself using this wiki in my future classroom alongside the website I created. I see the wiki as a place where I can upload files that I use in the classroom, such as handouts, presentations, or videos watched in class. I see the wiki being helpful for both parents and students because they will be able to access all the material that is used in class to either review for a test or to get the work that they might have missed if they were absent from class. As of now, the only modifications will be to update information such as my email as it changes and to add classroom material as I create or come across it in my teaching career. I’m sure I’ll find other things to change and edit as I use it.
• Do you plan on having your students create their own blogs/wikis in your future classroom? If so, please explain.
I’m not sure if I will have students create a blog or wiki. At this point, probably not and I will just have them post their work that they complete on the wiki under the student center section. This could change however and I may find a good use for either or both in the future. It is something that I will keep in mind as I teach and create my curriculum.
• Discussion of how your view of instructional technology has or has not changed over the semester
I always saw incorporating technology as essential to classroom teaching. However, before this class I did not have much experience with creating blogs, wikis, or websites. In that sense my view has been widened to think of these things in my future lesson planning.
• Discuss the quality and appropriateness of what you have learned and created this semester.
I think that this class gave me a lot of great tools to use in my future classroom. I’m not sure if I will incorporate all that I have learned and played with, such as making a movie, but I think it is good that I know about all of it. I now have a better idea of the different forms of media that are out there for reaching my students in a variety of ways. It also gives me a better sense of what I might be asking students when if I assign them to create a movie, podcast, or blog.
• Evaluation of your comfort moving forward with technology
I think I will be fairly comfortable with the technology that we have learned. I have always enjoyed learning about new pieces of technology and software and I hope to keep up to date with it all. If nothing else, this class has given me a good foundation to work from to figure out how to use other educational technology.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
PowerPoint Reflection
The lesson my PowerPoint presentation is on Cell Theory. The presentation walks you through a timeline of people and events that have lead up to what we now have as the accepted Cell Theory. I used a lot of the basic features in creating my PowerPoint, but I also tried not to overdo it with different features to the point that it becomes distracting to the lesson. I picked a solid background color and I tried to keep the use of my animations limited to only a few different ones. I included pictures on each slide so that students can put a face to the name of the scientist that made a discovery about the cells. I also included hyperlinks to Wikipedia for each person so that students can find additional information on that person if necessary. I did not include any of the optional features because they did not really seem to lend themselves to this topic, especially charts and graphs. The material I was presenting was not something based upon quantifiable data.
I have had limited experience with PowerPoint in the past, but that was on an older version. This project has helped me to see a lot of the changes that have taken place in this newer version and helped me learn where to go to access all of the features.
Presentation software, such as PowerPoint, can enhance a lesson because it allows you to embed other forms of media that is not always possible to do using a traditional chalkboard. PowerPoint makes it much easier to put up a picture of the subject you are talking about so that students make a visual association with the picture from the subject being covered. I also like how you can embed video right into the presentation instead of having to disrupt the class to set up a TV in order to show a short video clip. However, the most important way it can enhance a lesson, is that you can post the file on a website so that all of your students can access the presentation and review it a later date, something that just isn’t possible once you have erased a chalkboard.
I have had limited experience with PowerPoint in the past, but that was on an older version. This project has helped me to see a lot of the changes that have taken place in this newer version and helped me learn where to go to access all of the features.
Presentation software, such as PowerPoint, can enhance a lesson because it allows you to embed other forms of media that is not always possible to do using a traditional chalkboard. PowerPoint makes it much easier to put up a picture of the subject you are talking about so that students make a visual association with the picture from the subject being covered. I also like how you can embed video right into the presentation instead of having to disrupt the class to set up a TV in order to show a short video clip. However, the most important way it can enhance a lesson, is that you can post the file on a website so that all of your students can access the presentation and review it a later date, something that just isn’t possible once you have erased a chalkboard.
EDCI 5825 Blogpost #4
I think all teachers should be encouraged to create online activities of some sort. As we have discussed in many of our classes and as November (2010) points out, students learn in different ways. Some of our students will do very well in the traditional classroom, others will struggle, and many will fall in between those two extremes. November (2010) gave many reasons as to why online learning is a good idea, but the main reason behind it all is that it is another way tool teachers can use to reach more students.
Social networking is becoming more entwined in our everyday lives. This phenomenon is growing at such a fast rate that schools and educators cannot afford to ignore it. In our study of George Siemens and his theory of connectivism in our Learning Theories class, the idea of people being connected through online social networks seems central to his ideas. Siemens suggests that knowledge is going to be something that is stored as a society and less on an individual level and that the individual is going to need to learn the skills to access it. That is where social networks come into play. With networks such as Twitter and Facebook, students will be able to tap into the knowledge of their network community to learn the answer to a problem that they don’t understand. As technology advances, students are going to become increasingly “wired” into these online communities 24/7. I agree with Richardson (2010) that as teachers it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about these networks so that we can utilize them inside and outside our classrooms and to educate our students how to use them responsibly.
Social networking is becoming more entwined in our everyday lives. This phenomenon is growing at such a fast rate that schools and educators cannot afford to ignore it. In our study of George Siemens and his theory of connectivism in our Learning Theories class, the idea of people being connected through online social networks seems central to his ideas. Siemens suggests that knowledge is going to be something that is stored as a society and less on an individual level and that the individual is going to need to learn the skills to access it. That is where social networks come into play. With networks such as Twitter and Facebook, students will be able to tap into the knowledge of their network community to learn the answer to a problem that they don’t understand. As technology advances, students are going to become increasingly “wired” into these online communities 24/7. I agree with Richardson (2010) that as teachers it is our responsibility to educate ourselves about these networks so that we can utilize them inside and outside our classrooms and to educate our students how to use them responsibly.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
World, Meet my Website! Website, Meet the World!
Today I am unveiling my new website for the world to see. I hope you like it! Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions of things I can change or add.
And now, without further ado, my website:
My Website!
Website Reflection:
•What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.
I had a lot of fun with the whole web development process. This was my first time creating a website and it was no near as complicated as I would have thought. I used weebly.com to create my website and I was impressed with all of the ways that you can customize and personalize a website to truly make it your own.
•What was involved in the process of developing your site? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome those obstacles? What successes did you encounter?
The hardest part in creating the website was coming up with what I wanted to say. Once I found my voice, everything else came a bit more naturally. Even though the end product is not that complicated, it went through a few revisions as I came up with other ideas that I wanted to incorporate and different layouts I wanted to try. The whole process felt like I was playing in a digital sandbox by being able to build my website up and then tear it back down as I found other ways to format the layout of the website.
•Will you continue to build on/update this site after this course ends? Why/Why not? Please explain.
I think that I will keep this website up and running through the end of the course. While I was making it, I came to see how much fun this could be to use as a resource for my students outside of the classroom. I like the idea of having all of the homework assignments posted so that they can be accessed even if the student forgot to write down the homework in class. I also see it as a great tool to give to parents so that they can keep up to date with what I am doing in the classroom.
•What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?
One of the errors that was found was with the contrast between the font color used and the background. Truwex Online 2.0 said that the font color was too light compared to the background for their standard of accessibility. To fix this, I can go back and select a darker color for the font so that it stands out more against the background.
And now, without further ado, my website:
My Website!
Website Reflection:
•What is your reaction to the entire web development process? Please describe any positive and negative reactions.
I had a lot of fun with the whole web development process. This was my first time creating a website and it was no near as complicated as I would have thought. I used weebly.com to create my website and I was impressed with all of the ways that you can customize and personalize a website to truly make it your own.
•What was involved in the process of developing your site? What obstacles did you encounter? How did you overcome those obstacles? What successes did you encounter?
The hardest part in creating the website was coming up with what I wanted to say. Once I found my voice, everything else came a bit more naturally. Even though the end product is not that complicated, it went through a few revisions as I came up with other ideas that I wanted to incorporate and different layouts I wanted to try. The whole process felt like I was playing in a digital sandbox by being able to build my website up and then tear it back down as I found other ways to format the layout of the website.
•Will you continue to build on/update this site after this course ends? Why/Why not? Please explain.
I think that I will keep this website up and running through the end of the course. While I was making it, I came to see how much fun this could be to use as a resource for my students outside of the classroom. I like the idea of having all of the homework assignments posted so that they can be accessed even if the student forgot to write down the homework in class. I also see it as a great tool to give to parents so that they can keep up to date with what I am doing in the classroom.
•What errors/issues did you find when you tested your web site for 508 compliance? Based on those errors/issues, what changes would you make to your site?
One of the errors that was found was with the contrast between the font color used and the background. Truwex Online 2.0 said that the font color was too light compared to the background for their standard of accessibility. To fix this, I can go back and select a darker color for the font so that it stands out more against the background.
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