Games have been used in education to give students an opportunity to learn in new ways. Many students need to feel engaged or take a break from traditional classroom learning. Games can be used to "sneak in" learning while taking pressure off students. I remember playing Oregon Trail and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego as a child. At the time, I thought I was getting time off, but I can now see the benefit I received from playing these games. Gaming can be used as an addition to classroom learning but should not replace it entirely. It does provide motivation to learn, though, and can absolutely provide a lot of tangible benefits to students.
As a future teacher, it is important that I have a great awareness of educational games and how they can be used in the classroom. I can use games in the classroom to keep children focused while letting them "relax" with a fun game. I need to know the benefits that the games provide and the types of students that can and should use them. If I can master all of this, then games can only become a tool in my teaching arsenal.
This video demonstrates someone playing the Mario Teaches Typing game. It shows that a game can seem to just be a fun game, but can really teach valuable skills. In this case, the game teaches the user to be a better, faster typist while playing a fun game. I remember playing games like this and thoroughly enjoying myself.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Week 13-Distance Education and Virtual Schooling
With the popularity of the internet increasing, students are looking to it as a source of education. Students can use virtual schooling and distance education to receive classroom instruction right on their computer screen. There are programs that range in level from kindergarten to Masters level that are available online. Many colleges offer degrees entirely online. This has allowed students to study more subjects than just in the classroom and work at their own pace while feeling like they are getting one on one attention.
This is very important in my field, as I would like to one day become an educator. I can use virtual schooling and distance education to teach students, even if I choose to teach even the youngest children. The resources are endless. I can also use virtual schooling to give opportunities to students who may have to stay home from school for a day, which is common in young children. I could also teach while myself utilizing distance education to obtain another degree.
This video is a commercial for a school OTEN that offers a ton of online classes to Australian students. The commercial is a funny look at online education. It is engaging and lighthearted and shows a benefit of taking online classes over attending an actual classroom.
This is very important in my field, as I would like to one day become an educator. I can use virtual schooling and distance education to teach students, even if I choose to teach even the youngest children. The resources are endless. I can also use virtual schooling to give opportunities to students who may have to stay home from school for a day, which is common in young children. I could also teach while myself utilizing distance education to obtain another degree.
This video is a commercial for a school OTEN that offers a ton of online classes to Australian students. The commercial is a funny look at online education. It is engaging and lighthearted and shows a benefit of taking online classes over attending an actual classroom.
Week 12-Professional Web Presence
Nowadays, it is becoming more and more important to have a web presence. Having a web presence means that you have some sort of presence on the web, whether it be just within social networks, or having accounts on professional resume-sharing websites. For this week, we had to create our own professional web presence. Most students only have a presence in social networks, so this was new for almost all of us. Someone can use their professional web presence to help find a job or any other networking opportunities. This makes their credentials viewable by many more people and can help them immensely.
When I graduate, I hope to work in another state or maybe even abroad. I can use my professional web presence to contact people from far away and hopefully stand out by using samples of my work and embedding them on my site. I could also use this professional blog to demonstrate my skills in technology and education. This can be very helpful in getting to know people that are very far away and give me many new opportunities.
This video I have embedded is a 9 minute clip that shows an interview with a woman named Rebecca Cruz. She talks about the importance of a small business maintaining a web presence. She stresses how it can affect the success of your business in great ways and how completely necessary it is to have a presence. She says that the internet is more popular than the yellow pages for finding information about businesses.
When I graduate, I hope to work in another state or maybe even abroad. I can use my professional web presence to contact people from far away and hopefully stand out by using samples of my work and embedding them on my site. I could also use this professional blog to demonstrate my skills in technology and education. This can be very helpful in getting to know people that are very far away and give me many new opportunities.
This video I have embedded is a 9 minute clip that shows an interview with a woman named Rebecca Cruz. She talks about the importance of a small business maintaining a web presence. She stresses how it can affect the success of your business in great ways and how completely necessary it is to have a presence. She says that the internet is more popular than the yellow pages for finding information about businesses.
Week 11-Open Source Software
Open Source Software is a new type of technology that is being used by people in the technological community. The source code is made available for people to modify the program and improve how it is used. It allows for collaboration on programming and makes it available to all. Firefox is an example of open source software. If something is not open source, then people have to constantly pay for updates and other resources to ensure their programs are running smoothly.
When I graduate, I hope to use as much open source software as possible because it is free and allows for so much innovation. I can use different software to prepare lesson plans or programs for my students. There is software that is good for office work, such as preparing documents, but there are also programs that allow me to publish podcasts and other resources for my students. This will be especially helpful when I do not have a lot of money to spend on software.
This video gives a description of a few open source software programs that are free and a description about them. It shows how you can save money and gives a basic description of open source software and how it can be used. The video is from Youtube. It is pretty much a beginners guide to open source software.
When I graduate, I hope to use as much open source software as possible because it is free and allows for so much innovation. I can use different software to prepare lesson plans or programs for my students. There is software that is good for office work, such as preparing documents, but there are also programs that allow me to publish podcasts and other resources for my students. This will be especially helpful when I do not have a lot of money to spend on software.
This video gives a description of a few open source software programs that are free and a description about them. It shows how you can save money and gives a basic description of open source software and how it can be used. The video is from Youtube. It is pretty much a beginners guide to open source software.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Week 10-Learning Styles
There are a few different learning styles that can really affect how you absorb and retain information when learning a new topic. There are 3 basic types of learners: visual, auditory and tactile-kinesthetic. Visual learners learn by watching. They retain the information that they see and learn best through charts, graphs and diagrams. An auditory learner learns the best by hearing the information. Only about 30% of students are auditory learners and they benefit from being told the information they need to know or by saying it out loud. Tactile-kinesthetic learners are very hands-on. They need to do activities to help them retain information. They benefit from putting their whole body into a situation and remember what they experience the best. Most students fit into one of these 3 categories and it can be helpful to understand which one.
Teachers can benefit from understanding how a student learns the best. They can structure lessons around the student's learning style so that they can receive the most benefit. I think it is important to offer a test to students in the beginning of the year so that their learning style can be discovered. If that is not possible, it is helpful for a teacher to offer all different methods to all the students of the class to give them all an opportunity to learn in their best possible way.
The following video is an introduction to the concept of learning styles and how they can apply to students. It is just a short intro to what learning styles do and how they can be used. It has a funny twist at the end and keeps you interested.
Teachers can benefit from understanding how a student learns the best. They can structure lessons around the student's learning style so that they can receive the most benefit. I think it is important to offer a test to students in the beginning of the year so that their learning style can be discovered. If that is not possible, it is helpful for a teacher to offer all different methods to all the students of the class to give them all an opportunity to learn in their best possible way.
The following video is an introduction to the concept of learning styles and how they can apply to students. It is just a short intro to what learning styles do and how they can be used. It has a funny twist at the end and keeps you interested.
Week 9-Social Networking
Social networking has been growing in popularity in the past few years and it has begun to be noticed by people everywhere. Some feel very positively toward it, but many others feel that it is a way that students are decreasing their social skills and avoiding peer-to-peer interaction. There are reasons to believe both points of view, and this has become a huge debate, especially among educators and how it applies to students. It is possible that it could have an impact on how people communicate in the future, but it could be a positive or a negative impact. I think that only time can tell how it will change the face of human interaction and communication.
This relates very much to education because social networking provides many opportunities for teachers to reach out to students in new ways. It also gives teachers a roadblock to overcome as they must find new ways to get into the heads of students. They may have to learn an entirely new form of communication that they were not previously used to. If it does affect students ability to have face-to-face interaction, then teachers must be aware of that as well.
The resource I chose for this blog entry is this video. It is a humorous attempt to explain social networking and how it is affecting the youth. It is a clip from the Daily Show and clearly demonstrates social networking in students, while still maintaining a funny point of view.
This relates very much to education because social networking provides many opportunities for teachers to reach out to students in new ways. It also gives teachers a roadblock to overcome as they must find new ways to get into the heads of students. They may have to learn an entirely new form of communication that they were not previously used to. If it does affect students ability to have face-to-face interaction, then teachers must be aware of that as well.
The resource I chose for this blog entry is this video. It is a humorous attempt to explain social networking and how it is affecting the youth. It is a clip from the Daily Show and clearly demonstrates social networking in students, while still maintaining a funny point of view.
Week 8-Podcasting
This week in class we learned all about podcasting and how it can be used. Podcasts are audio files that are recorded and can be downloaded onto an MP3 player or played on a computer. Many podcasts are recorded as a series and can be automatically downloaded to your computer. There are podcasts about all different sorts of materials, from TV shows to music to news. You can find a podcasts about almost any special interest, even a podcast that gives you new workout music every week!
Podcasts are a great resource in my field. They can be used to relate to students by giving them new weekly updates with interesting facts, for example. I could also use podcasts to communicate with parents and keep them up to speed with what is going on with their children. There are so many uses for podcasting! School administrators could use podcasting to alert staff members of weekly changes instead of having many meetings.
The resource I found for this post is this video that shows how to create a podcast. It is extremely helpful and gives a basic overview of how to do it on your computer. Since many people are not accustomed to creating podcasts, this can help very much for any new beginners.
Podcasts are a great resource in my field. They can be used to relate to students by giving them new weekly updates with interesting facts, for example. I could also use podcasts to communicate with parents and keep them up to speed with what is going on with their children. There are so many uses for podcasting! School administrators could use podcasting to alert staff members of weekly changes instead of having many meetings.
The resource I found for this post is this video that shows how to create a podcast. It is extremely helpful and gives a basic overview of how to do it on your computer. Since many people are not accustomed to creating podcasts, this can help very much for any new beginners.
Week 7-Digital Storytelling
For this week, we learned about digital storytelling and how it can be used. Digital storytelling is the use of pictures or other media to tell a story without words. With the spread of the internet, this type of media has become more and more common. Digital photography is used to capture images and translate them onto the internet quickly and easily. The pixelation is much clearer and allows for better pictures to be taken. Digital photography can also be used in the classroom to create many learning opportunities. Digital video is also another resource that can be used in and out of the classroom.
This can be used in my field because digital images and video present many new outlets for students to express their creativity. In the assignment we did in class, I was able to tell a story through images and music. It is important that students learn these tools because our world is a globalized community. Students will not be prepared for this if they do not become accustomed to the tools that help navigate this new world we live in. In the classroom, I will use all these tools to engage and inspire my students.
The resource I chose for my entry is this website. It is the University of Houston's webpage about the educational uses of digital storytelling. It defines digital storytelling and also gives links to software and other resources that can help a teacher to utilize digital storytelling in the classroom. It also has a section of Web 2.0 tools, such as podcasts and blogs that can also be helpful.
This can be used in my field because digital images and video present many new outlets for students to express their creativity. In the assignment we did in class, I was able to tell a story through images and music. It is important that students learn these tools because our world is a globalized community. Students will not be prepared for this if they do not become accustomed to the tools that help navigate this new world we live in. In the classroom, I will use all these tools to engage and inspire my students.
The resource I chose for my entry is this website. It is the University of Houston's webpage about the educational uses of digital storytelling. It defines digital storytelling and also gives links to software and other resources that can help a teacher to utilize digital storytelling in the classroom. It also has a section of Web 2.0 tools, such as podcasts and blogs that can also be helpful.
This is a concept map that shows how I will use folksonomies in my field. Enjoy!Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Podcast
I created a sound file using Audacity. It is a short file just demonstrating how sound can be recorded and shared online. I can use sounds in presentations to demonstrate things in a whole new way. In my chosen field, I can use sounds to engage children in presentations. It can be a surprising, fun way to teach concepts that may be a little more difficult.
Listen to my sound sample here.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Week 6-Visual Literacy
Visual literacy is the ability to understand a message conveyed
through an image or images. Just as you can be literate with books or reading, you can be visually literate. In this
information age, it is becoming increasingly important to promote the learning of visual literacy. Many educators and education programs are focusing on these skills as indispensable in the 21st century to help communicate and understand our complex world. As most of our communication is shifting to the internet, visual literacy is becoming more and more important to stay caught up with the technology of our time.
In my major, I will be required to teach visual literacy skills to my students. I will need to not only understand visual literacy but also be able to communi
cate how to apply those skills to life. Students can increase their visual literacy skills by creating visual projects to express their ideas. I also think it is important to expose students to photography that challenges them and motivates them to draw their own conclusions about what they are looking at. Visuals can also engage students in subjects such as history, that are oftentimes looked down on, as they are hard to make modern and find an interesting take on. They are difficult to make seem relevant to students, but if students are engaged visually, then they can learn much more and receive great benefits from the knowledge.For my source, I chose photos that show a great amount of emotion and passion. They depict famous moments in history that help people connect to the emotion behind the history. These pictures make history real, painful and beautiful all at the same time. Students can feel drawn to the images and may want to know more. It also makes it easier to remember and more interesting for them. With the internet making these photos available, it is an incredible resource for students and teachers.
Week 3-Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 refers to web-based applications that facilitate peer-to-peer interactions. Some examples of this include Facebook, Myspace, Blogs and Wikis. Web 2.0 sites are able to be changed and/or modified by the user. The internet has gone from being read-only to a way for people to not only read, but interact, comment, change, upload and integrate into their everyday lives. People have social networks to meet friends, wikis to collaborate on and blogs to spill their darkest secrets. The boundaries of technology are slowly being broken down as we are able to put more and more of ourselves online. The world is changing and it is becoming especially important for educators. Students are surpassing teachers in their understanding of technology, and it is our obligation to catch up and harness the power of Web 2.0 for the good of our students.
As a student in the college of Education, Web 2.0 is a great tool for me to expand my resources and integrate other forms of educational technology into my lesson plans. Before taking this course, I was not aware of how many tools are available on the internet that can assist in teaching or communicating with students. These tools can revolutionize the way to engage students, especially since many students are very tuned in to the internet. This way, students are presented with a new way to connect with the teachers and materials and can meet the needs of students with completely new methods.
This funny video describes Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and the to be defined Web 4.0. It gives a humorous take on all the changes that have been occurring with the internet and helps to extend your understanding. I think that a video posted on Youtube, a Web 2.0 device, and then embedded in my personal blog account, is quite appropriate for this subject matter.
As a student in the college of Education, Web 2.0 is a great tool for me to expand my resources and integrate other forms of educational technology into my lesson plans. Before taking this course, I was not aware of how many tools are available on the internet that can assist in teaching or communicating with students. These tools can revolutionize the way to engage students, especially since many students are very tuned in to the internet. This way, students are presented with a new way to connect with the teachers and materials and can meet the needs of students with completely new methods.
This funny video describes Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and the to be defined Web 4.0. It gives a humorous take on all the changes that have been occurring with the internet and helps to extend your understanding. I think that a video posted on Youtube, a Web 2.0 device, and then embedded in my personal blog account, is quite appropriate for this subject matter.
Week 2-Web Technology Concepts
This week in class, we watched a few presentations and videos that showed how web technology is evolving and affecting students. The presentation that really stuck out to me was Frontline's "Growing Up Online". It had 7 different chapters that showed different aspects of life on the internet, and I found it extremely engaging. They showed that most students live a huge part of their lives on the internet, and much of that is hidden from the view of parents or teachers. They highlighted a few different personal stories that illustrated this. They showed a girl who was able to find a second life for herself online. She lived her alternative life through photos that she posted, and gained a following while her parents knew nothing of what was going on. Another girl had an eating disorder and she used the internet to find support to help her keep up with it. She would go online often and read things that would motivate her and it was not necessarily healthy. One story that really stuck out to me was about cyberbullying. A young boy was bullied so much by his peers online, that he eventually committed suicide. It made me feel so angry and upset that things like that could go on without parents even noticing. Many children are living a double life online and it can be positive or negative.
Since I am studying education, it is important that I am aware of what is going on with students and their online behavior. The amount of time that students spend online means that their internet usage is directly shaping who they are and what information they are gaining on a daily basis. If I want to be able to impact the lives of my students, then I need to understand and embrace the importance of the internet to students. Also, there is a lot of danger on the internet and if I do not understand that, then I may not be doing the best for my students.
A website that illustrates this concept is a newly popular website called ChatRoulette. This website links random strangers by webcam and has a "Next" button for the user to shuffle through video feeds. This concept is meant to link people around the world and provide a wordly view and integrate diversity, however, it can be very inappropriate depending on who you stumble on. This website is becoming very popular with college students and now even younger children are beginning to go on. This great tool, which can stimulate such interesting, diverse conversation, can also be used in a very negative way. This is being done with many different tools on the internet, just as the young boy who committed suicide was bullied on a basic online chat. If you do not have an unbiased, fair view of the internet, then you may miss some of the dangers and let students misuse the tools that are available online.
Since I am studying education, it is important that I am aware of what is going on with students and their online behavior. The amount of time that students spend online means that their internet usage is directly shaping who they are and what information they are gaining on a daily basis. If I want to be able to impact the lives of my students, then I need to understand and embrace the importance of the internet to students. Also, there is a lot of danger on the internet and if I do not understand that, then I may not be doing the best for my students.
A website that illustrates this concept is a newly popular website called ChatRoulette. This website links random strangers by webcam and has a "Next" button for the user to shuffle through video feeds. This concept is meant to link people around the world and provide a wordly view and integrate diversity, however, it can be very inappropriate depending on who you stumble on. This website is becoming very popular with college students and now even younger children are beginning to go on. This great tool, which can stimulate such interesting, diverse conversation, can also be used in a very negative way. This is being done with many different tools on the internet, just as the young boy who committed suicide was bullied on a basic online chat. If you do not have an unbiased, fair view of the internet, then you may miss some of the dangers and let students misuse the tools that are available online.
Week 1-21st Century Skills
As our society grows and changes, our children need to learn new skills to adapt to the unique environment in which we live. 21st century skills are the skills that let students master critical thinking, collaboration, communication and problem solving. Students must become literate in more than just the core subjects of school. It is important to have a comprehensive understanding of technology, but also to be prepared to be an adult in our ever-changing world. Students need to be able to understand technology, but also basic ways of coping with conflict and problem solving. By mastering life and career skills, learning and innovation skills and information, media and technology skills, students will be fully prepared to tackle most conflicts that arise within our time.
I am currently studying Early Childhood Education, and when I graduate college, I hope to teach young students, possibly of kindergarten age. 21st century skills are so essential, that it is necessary to begin integrating that type of learning into the education of children at the youngest possible age. It is always harder to learn something when you are older, and I am a strong believer in getting to children when they are young. Through early intervention, especially in high-risk classrooms, we can improve the lives and futures of our students. It is important to begin molding the minds of children as soon as they can understand you. We can prepare children for jobs in all sorts of fields that are going to be essential to our world in a few years. I am striving to learn more about 21st century skills because I want to be able to pass those skills on to my students when I teach.
The YouTube video I attached shows how students are a part of a world that is completely different from what they are being taught in schools. It was made to motivate teachers to integrate 21st Century Skills into their teaching. It has a huge focus on technology and does not really focus on the other skills that are a part of it. It applies to the subject directly because it shows the huge disconnect that is occurring in classrooms.
I am currently studying Early Childhood Education, and when I graduate college, I hope to teach young students, possibly of kindergarten age. 21st century skills are so essential, that it is necessary to begin integrating that type of learning into the education of children at the youngest possible age. It is always harder to learn something when you are older, and I am a strong believer in getting to children when they are young. Through early intervention, especially in high-risk classrooms, we can improve the lives and futures of our students. It is important to begin molding the minds of children as soon as they can understand you. We can prepare children for jobs in all sorts of fields that are going to be essential to our world in a few years. I am striving to learn more about 21st century skills because I want to be able to pass those skills on to my students when I teach.
The YouTube video I attached shows how students are a part of a world that is completely different from what they are being taught in schools. It was made to motivate teachers to integrate 21st Century Skills into their teaching. It has a huge focus on technology and does not really focus on the other skills that are a part of it. It applies to the subject directly because it shows the huge disconnect that is occurring in classrooms.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
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