Final Digital Blog Post

A Course to Reflect

Whether I was sitting in the coffee shop or relaxing at home, writing this blog on EME 2040 has truly enhanced my capability of teaching. The IGeneration of students continually increases and so does improvements in technology. Chapter 1 of the textbook "Transforming Learning with New Technologies", informed me that computer time using technology-based teaching tools can be beneficial to students and teachers as well (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). To recognize the IGeneration in my future classroom, I will do a "computer center" in which students can participate in interactive online activities. Here is ABC Mouse, one of my favorite online activity websites that I have mentioned throughout the semester.

Behaviorism, a term mentioned in Chapter 3 of the textbook, was a term I was familiar with and I found interesting to be acknowledged in a technological way. Improvements and updates in technology in the classroom serve as part of the environment for the students. Behaviorism, as defined by the textbook, "maintains that learning is a set of changes in human behavior created as a response to events in the environment" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Here is one of my favorite comics I created over the course of the semester regarding Chapter 3.

Over the course of the semester, collaborative lesson plans and teacher web pages taught me learning objectives such as "analyze and evaluate a selection of technological tools for assisting students who are English Language Learners, and link the technology to strategies for teaching these students." I was able to assist and evaluate on how to incorporate diverse technological needs in the classroom for students. Whether it be through learning styles or developmental delays, technology can be used to positively improve teaching students. One tool I found very successful and will be helpful for presentations in the classroom is Prezi. It is a presentation website designed for a different appeal. I believe it takes a creative approach on lecture time. Here is one I made on Chapter 11, "Engaging Students in Performance Assessment and Reflective Learning".



My favorite discussion post throughout the course was Discussion Post #3: Assistive/Adaptive Technologies. With having experience of volunteering at a special education school, I found this discussion topic interesting to see the perspectives of my classmates and how they would help their physically/mentally disabled students adapt to the classroom. I think it is extremely important for a classroom to feel like family; every child should feel like a friend. Even as a teacher for voluntary pre-kindergarten, I call each one of my students (and encourage them to do so) my "friends." I wrote in this discussion post, "As a teacher, I would provide my student with a hearing disability plenty of resources so he/she feels respected and treated equally as other students" and I still believe that very thing.

Along with some of my favorite chapters such as Chapter 11 and Chapter 7, this class served as an eye-opener to using technology in the classroom. I always found it important to have one-on-one basic instruction with students but I had not realized how important it was for students to also have computer time with engaging activities. The course also explained to me how it does not have to be just computers, but there is a large abundance of technological teaching tools and opportunities for the classroom. I hope to gather the information I learned this semester and to incorporate it into future classrooms!

References
Hunt, Alaina. (2015, September 20). "Technology for Students" Bitstrip. Retrieved December, 10, 2015, from https://www.bitstrips.com/user/JJ784S/read.php?comic_id=QQVM3&subsection=1.

Hunt, Alaina. (2015, November 2). Chapter 11:. Retrieved December 10, 2015.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #L

Three Concepts to Reflect

After a relaxing Thanksgiving break, reading Chapter 12, "Integrating Technology and Creating Change as Teacher Leaders" explained significantly the importance of technology integration in the classroom to me as a future teacher. With technology integration and educational change, new concepts and ideas are thought of to improve technology in the classroom. The first term that caught my attention, inclusion, "means that computers and information technologies are used mainly for transferring information and practicing skills" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). It is minimal use such as scheduling and classes. I personally believe technology should be more included in everyday class to enhance learning.

Marc Warschauer's social infomatics was the second term that caught my eye. It is an analysis "where technology's impacts are considered within the context of larger social, economic, and political realities, as well as social and racial differences" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). It is supposed to allow more technological opportunities to less fortunate families in order to improve educational experience. I believe that having such places like libraries with modern technology is a great way to have open resources to students.

One-to-one laptop computing, the last term I am mentioning, "means every student in a grade, school, or district has her or his own computing device to use in school" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). This is supposed to prevent digital inequality between students. When I went to high school, every student had access to laptops to take notes and work on homework with. I found it extremely useful and convenient.

Overall, I found this chapter very informative. There was an abundance of theories that would seem helpful in the classroom. I would like to see how one-to-one laptop computing would work in an elementary or middle school setting.

Here is a bitstrip explaining the importance of teaching the teachers about improvements in technology for the classroom.
http://bitstrips.com/r/GKS7K

References
Hunt, A. (2015, November 29). Chapter 12. Retrieved November 29, 2015, from http://bitstrips.com/r/GKS7K

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #K

Three Concepts to Reflect

Chapter 6, "Fostering Online Learning with Educational Websites and Apps", explains how informational websites and bookmarking can be used to improved educational experiences for students. Information management, the first term that caught my eye, "is a business term generally used to describe how organizations and systems keep track of data for making decisions and setting policies" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Teachers can use online organizes to effectively improve the educational experience for students. I found this term interesting but I do not use any sort of online organizer and it is definitely something I would want to learn to use for my VPK class.

The second term I found interesting is e-newsletters. E-newsletters "appear for free in your email on a regular basis once you sign up to receive them" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Quite often I have signed up for newsletters from clothing stores or organizations and never found them useful until now. I recently started creating a newsletter for my class and asked the parents of my students to write down their emails so I can send out the newsletter. I found email a better use of communication to reach the parents.

The third term I found interesting was WebQuests which "are online inquiries for students that are designed and guided by teachers" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). The term caught my eye because of the WebQuest I just created for this class. I tried to visualize as WebQuest as a visual map so my students feel guided from one activity to the next.

Overall, I thought chapter 6 was very inventive and eye-opening. I would like to include online organizers into my class and see how it effectively helps my students. I am curious to see how a WebQuest would work for preschool students but I think it is a great idea!

Below is a short quiz about the chapter.
http://flipquiz.me/u/amhunt15/eme-2040-blog

References
Hunt, A. (2015, November 16). EME 2040 Blog:. Retrieved November 16, 2015.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #I

Three Concepts to Reflect

As a new Pre-Kindergarten teacher, lesson planning has been something I am slowly learning to do. It is a very important aspect of VPK teaching. Chapter 4, "Designing Lessons and Developing Curriculum with Technology", discusses of how teachers plan and and teach lessons to keep students engaged. Lesson planning was the first term I found significant. Lesson planning organizes the three elements such as teachers' goals, methods, and procedures. It is broken up into two groups; student learning objectives and Understanding by Design (UBD) (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). This includes the "who, what, when, how much/often, and how it will be measured" that some students are taught in school. I thought this was interesting because I remember being taught in school that statement when the teacher made us evaluate situations on the topic.

Assessing and evaluating students by personal experiences is the second term that caught my eye. I found this interesting because after I was remembering how I was taught as a child, there was a term to explain that. "Teachers tend to teach the way they were taught and assess the way they were assessed" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I have had a few significant teachers in my history of schooling and I hope to incorporate the way they taught into the way I teach.

Last but not least, electronic grading software, a virtual recordkeeping system, "is a computer program enabling teachers to quickly calculate and record student grades on a computer" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Although I do not do much grading in VPK, I think this would be an extremely helpful tool in the future. Older students like high and middle school students would be able to electronically check their grades throughout the semester. There can also be assigned values of assessments, just like FSW's online classes.

Chapter 4 was an eye-opener chapter for me as it explained the importance of lesson planning. I hope to look back and reflect on the chapter during my lesson planning days.

Here is a more creative approach to this chapter: https://tackk.com/vre9l6

References
Hunt, A. (2015, November 8). Chapter 4 - Tackk. Retrieved November 8, 2015.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #J

Three Concepts to Reflect

This time finding myself in the school library, Chapter 11 "Engaging Students in Performance Assessment and Reflective Learning" reflects how both teachers and students use technology to assess and evaluate learning. Student assessment, which is the first term that caught my eye, is how a teacher would assess students' learning and teacher effectiveness" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). There are several evaluations to perform such as report cards, meetings with families, and oral/written feedback to students. As a VPK teacher, some of the student assessments that I perform are observation reports and parent-teacher conferences. I found this term interesting because I just conducted several parent-teacher conferences earlier this week.

The second term I found interesting is a digital teaching portfolio. A digital teaching portfolio "is a collection of educational and professional materials stored in an electronic format"  (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I found this term very useful and I honestly want to start on creating my own soon so I can reflect on what I did as a VPK teacher and carry it with me to Kindergarten. I would like to see what I should improve upon for the betterment of my class.

Prior knowledge-based learning, which was the third term that caught my attention, is "the idea that when teaching new concepts, teachers need to connect their lessons to what students already know or have been taught"  (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I feel that prior knowledge-based learning is extremely relevant to VPK because it helps the students remember more fluently what they were just taught. When I lesson plan, I try to keep certain topic transition into the next theme.

Chapter 11 had me think of how important it is to not only keep track of how your students are doing, but how you, as the teacher, is doing as well. I will definitely be putting together a digital teaching portfolio to keep track of my progress as I apply prior-knowledge based learning to my lesson plans!




References
Hunt, A. (2015, November 2). Chapter 11:. Retrieved November 2, 2015.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #H

Three Concepts to Reflect

Chapter 10, "Promoting Success for All Students through Technology", explains the significance incorporating the individual needs of every student in a classroom. Being that this is a  very important aspect to me as a teacher, I found this chapter informative and insightful. To began the chapter, the term multicultural education is "used to describe how teachers go about 'affirming' the expansive diversity of student interests, needs, and talents present in every school classroom" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). It is a term of equal opportunity, along with modernizing itself to the diversity of society today. Multicultural education caught my attention because I feel that a child's acceptance and comfort in a classroom is a priority. I believe in creative curriculum that allows students to identify themselves and express themselves, regardless of different prejudice.

The term "differentiated instruction (DI)" also reminds me of creative curriculum. It is "an instructional approach in which teachers create different educational experiences as ways to meet the learning needs of individual students"  (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). An example of DI in my VPK classroom would be in science center, students use magnifying glasses, scales, magnets, and more to include diverse learning styles and enhance their learning. Some are visual enhancers while others are hands-on.

The third term this week that caught me eye was "speech recognition software" which "displays a person's spoken words as written text on a computer screen" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). As being a witness of students who struggle with fine motor disabilities, I find software like this extremely helpful in the development of four and five year olds. As a teacher, I find it useful to decipher my students' work when they write certain letters or phrases.

Chapter 10 brought a lot of insightful information to me in which I learned how diversity is a term that keeps expanding. It is important to target diverse learning styles in the classroom so every students feels welcome to grasp the information. I hope to include multicultural education by expanding on my student's interests in the classroom and always being a welcoming teacher.

And for some creative expression of this chapter!

<iframe width="800" height="1979" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="overflow-y:hidden;" src="https://magic.piktochart.com/embed/8853998-untitled-infographic"></iframe>

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/8853998-untitled-infographic




References
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #G

Three Concepts to Reflect

Chapter nine, "Expressing Creativity with Multimedia Technologies" explains how useful multimedia can present educational information. Being a new preschool (VPK) teacher, multimedia is a very useful way to teach in my classroom. Multimedia means "the presentation of material using both words and pictures" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Examples of multimedia that I use in my classroom is music (to dance and for learning how to follow instruction), visual word wall, circle time reading, and voice-over books. I find multimedia very beneficial, especially working with four year-olds so they have a stimulating classroom experience.

The second term I found interesting, and was not far behind "multimedia", is multimodal learning. Multimodal learning "happens when teachers combine spoken words with visuals or written text with audio or utilize simulations and models" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I found this interesting because I think this term targets all learning styles. Whether a child is a visual or audio learner, multimodal learning allows for all kinds of styles. This makes it a better experience for the student. An example of when I use multimodal learning in my classroom is when we do our calendar during circle time. Not only do I have a visual calendar with days of the week and months, but we also repeat our days of the week/months out loud. This way students can see it and hear it.

After looking through the rest of the chapter, the third term I found interesting was information presentation design which is "the arrangement of written and pictorial information so that its intended audiences can easily and clearly understand it" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Even though the other two terms were ones I apply in my classroom, this term stood out to me because it is not something I use. Although it may be hard to use PowerPoint in a VPK classroom, I think it is a useful tool for older students. It is visually stimulating for students and helps the teacher stay organized.

Chapter nine has to be one of my favorite chapters to read. Over the course of the school year, I have gone from working with one year olds to working with VPK and I have learned so many teaching strategies. This chapter I easily related to with techniques.

To go along with the chapter, he is a visual to accompany the blog post:
http://www.gliffy.com/go/publish/9220367

References
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #F

Three Concepts to Reflect

For this blog post, I found myself back in the coffee shop reading the chapter and decided on what topics to write about. In the chapter, Communicating and Collaborating with Social Media, what instantly caught my attention was the term "computer-mediated communication". As a VPK teacher, I have many possibilities of integrating technology into my classroom, and electronic communication, also known as computer-mediated communication, "encompasses many different kinds of information exchanges between people" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Even though this is just an introductory term, I still found it insightful to the chapter and a good introduction for me as a student. I want to improve my technology communication skills with my students.

The second topic I found interesting is two terms used to create engaging activities. Synchronous communications "occur in real time, as will cell phone observations or text message exchanges". Asynchronous communications "involve a time delay, as with email messages, online discussions, or blogs. Communicators wait for replies to their statements" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). These were foreign terms to me because I never knew they were split into categories. I do believe it allows for creativity. For example, teacher could do instant polls in the classroom that involve students texting a number and the teacher can take a poll. The teacher can use asynchronous communication by asking students to email projects.

The third and final term I am mentioning today is Wikis. I thought this was interesting because of the group Wiki project we are doing in the class. A wiki "is a website or blogspace that is collaboratively edited and maintained by a group of people" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). It can be used for organized. I liked being able to see this defined in the textbook while I am also learning and exploring how it works for the group project.

Here is a little asynchronous and synchronous communication joke:
https://www.bitstrips.com/user/JJ784S/read.php?comic_id=J74N3&sc=1

References
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #E

Three Concepts to Reflect

With as many real world and crazy situations in every day life, Chapter 7 titled "Exploring Problem Solving with Software, Apps, and Games" targets how learning games and software can beneficially promote problem solving skills for students. The first term that caught my eye in the chapter was called an ill-structure problem. "Problems in the real world are complicated, messy, and often require trade-offs and compromises to resolve. Such real-world issues have been called ill-structured problems because there is no simple formula to follow to get things done" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I favored this term because it explains that instead of ignoring the problem, it encourages students to define and face such problems with educational actions. Teachers can give students complex or simple online problem-solving activities. And with increased development in technology, I feel like simulation games and apps can improve more and more for students to use problem-solving skills.

Along with ill-structure problems, comes the higher and lower order thinking of it all called Bloom's Taxonomy. I targeted this term next because I had honestly always heard of this but never knew what it meant. Bloom Taxonomy is a "seminal educational classification tool" that was developed by Bloom and his collaborators to distinguish between the "different forms of thinking, from basic recall and interpretation of information (lower-order thinking) to comparison and evaluation of theories and perspectives (higher-order thinking) (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I think this term allows for more structure, for when it comes to problem-solving, in a non-structured based every day life. An example would be for lower-order is memorizing spelling words. Higher-order would be putting together a poem or story using those words. Both types are designed to help students succeed in higher order thinking.

The third term I am mentioning is computer games. I think we all know what it means but I found it interesting how the book mentions it. As a child, computer games was something growing and becoming popular. I would play Sesame Street learning games on my parents' computer. Computer games "are computer, video, and web-based game software applications that are immensely popular among children and adolescents today" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). These games provide an electronic playing environment along with visual feedback once a milestone has been completed on the game. Some computer games can add story-lines and plots to embellish the game, or movies and commercial television are included to promote certain interests. I hope to see computer games continue in the right direction when it comes to educationally shaping the students' higher order of thinking.

After reading this chapter, I found it to be one of my favorites. Now working as a full time VPK teacher, I thought it was interesting to see how helpful computer games can be in the classroom. My class uses an iPad for individual small group time in which students can play educational shape sort and mathematics/science games. Blooms Taxonomy taught me the difference between lower and higher order of thinking so I can challenge my students more. I think the terms provided in this chapter allow for a little more structure in this ill-structure problem solving world.

As sort of a review of this post, here is a short fun quiz based on the three terms above.
https://play.kahoot.it/#/?quizId=1a02e018-40e8-4882-98d9-6381315e2ed8

References
Hunt, Alaina. (2015, October 6). "Chapter 7 Blog Post #E" Kahoot!. Retrieved October, 6, 2015, from
https://play.kahoot.it/#/?quizId=1a02e018-40e8-4882-98d9-6381315e2ed8.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #D

Three Concepts to Reflect

Chapter 4, "Teaching Information Literacy and Digital Citizenship", is a chapter enriched with terms and definitions of the internet. Being a internet blogger myself now, I found this chapter interesting because of how familiar I am with the information. The term, e-books, as mentioned in the textbook is defined as "books that can be read digitally on a computer or a device known as an E-Reader" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Devices such as Apple's iPad and the Sony Readers allow for digital access to books, magazines, newspaper, and other printed materials. I currently own Amazon's Kindle Fire which gives me the ability to read books or textbooks online instead of the printed version. "In a higher education study, students who used e-readers in a first in a first-year reading and writing course at California Lutheran University showed increase academic performance and higher levels of engagement with the material" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). I think it would be useful to use my Kindle Fire or another e-book in the future for my classes.

The second term that caught my attention is critical reading, which is a "different approach that teaches children, adolescents, and adults how to read online material and decide for themselves its usefulness or appropriateness" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Part of this term is identifying and deciding what is useful information on the internet. I related to this term very much because I feel like college students use critical reading in every day life. When doing assignments that require research and study, students have to be able to decipher what will be useful for their assignment and what would be nonsense information.

The final terms I am mentioning and am familiar with are cheating and plagiarism. Again, as college students, these terms are important. As defined in the textbook, plagiarism "is the direct copying and misinterpretation of someone else's work as one's own". Cheating "involves using technology to access information without permission before or during a test or sending information about a test to other students before or during an exam" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Being in college classes before, I have had many ways plagiarism and cheating have been defined but I like how this textbook did it. I find it useful and as a reminder for how to properly do schoolwork such as papers and assignments. Many students have been subject to it, but the less that do it the better.

To depict how popular e-readers have become, here is a little funny cartoon!
http://www.toondoo.com/privateView.toon?param=8JK2pKJjLefRNutmdkM9mZQPKXzfi%2FPvjAjE%2FvxkGHgHTm7Q4eul1Q%3D%3D

Resources
Hunt, Alaina. (2015, September 27). "E-Reader Fun" ToonDoo. Retrieved September, 27, 2015, from
http://www.toondoo.com/privateView.toon?param=8JK2pKJjLefRNutmdkM9mZQPKXzfi%2FPvjAjE%2FvxkGHgHTm7Q4eul1Q%3D%3D


Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #C

Three Concepts to Reflect

After a week of new experiences at work, I came home to read Chapter 3, "Transforming Learning with Unique, Powerful Technology". Behaviorism is a word that I have constantly heard in other college classes such as Psychology and I found it interesting to see how it appealed to technology. As defined by the textbook, behaviorism "maintains that learning is a set of changes in human behavior created as a response to events in the environment" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). The paragraph suggests that primary learning strategies are based on memory and recall. I think what is best about having updated computers or any sort of technology in the classroom is that it can address and help all types of learning styles. For example, a linguistic learner like myself could use audio presentations to help me excel in the class.

Student-centered approaches, a term mentioned on page 51 of the book refers to as "classroom learning as extending from the active engagement of students with academic material and real-life situations" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards, & Woolf, 2014). Instead of answering the questions of the real world for the students, it is allowing the students to answer it themselves. I find this progressive type of approach very useful because it helps prepare students for real-life situations. As a teacher, I would hope I could better my students in any way useful. The use of technology comes into play with this because better technology can provide better understanding of the technology that is used.

Along with learning real-life situations comes information literacy. The final term I am sharing with you that caught my attention was information literacy which allows students to know how to "identify what information is needed, understand how the information is organized, identify the best sources of information for a given need, locate those sources, evaluate the sources critically, and share that information" (University of Idaho, 2012). I believe that all three topics I chose really relate because behaviorism suggested that memory is a key part in learning. With practice and technological materials, students can become information literate and be able to know the best way to receive information.

Chapter three I thought was a very great chapter. I found it interesting to recognize certain terms and be familiar with topics. The terms I mentioned in this blog post are similar to the way I want to teach my future students. I hope to keep in mind ideas like behaviorism and cognitivism. I also am able to differentiate teacher-centered and student-centered approaches. I will be definitely be practicing these ideas this week at work!

And here is a Bitstrip comic, just showing how useful technology in the classroom can be!

References

Hunt, Alaina. (2015, September 20). "Technology for Students" Bitstrip. Retrieved September, 20, 2015, from https://www.bitstrips.com/user/JJ784S/read.php?comic_id=QQVM3&subsection=1.

Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #B

Three Concepts to Reflect

This time around I'm not sitting in a coffee shop but rather in the comfort of my own home. Being that Chapter 2 is labeled "Understanding Educational Technology Issues and Trends", the words "A Career that Matters" on page twenty three instantly caught my attention. The book states, that as a teacher, you are expected to: 1) "Convey essential academic material to students in ways they will understand, remember, and use" . 2) Appeal and teach to student's individual and unique needs. 3) Create a balance between students' outside-of-school influences such as social class and race, with inside-classroom dynamics such as academics and daily routines (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014). I found this interesting and encouraging for being a new teacher myself. The points serve as a reminder to me what the some of the main purposes of being a teacher are.

Before I move on to other interesting topics, here is a Prezi presentation based on main points that you can follow along with. Included are Youtube videos and images.

https://prezi.com/6qrldz3lpke6/edit/#4_95982358

The second interesting thing I read was The Rogers Innovation Curve. Defined by the textbook, the curve "depicts how individuals in business and management respond to change" ((Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014). Along with new ideas, comes a percentage of innovators, early adopters, followers, and individuals that will resist the idea. This topic stood out to me in the chapter because it supposedly establishes where a teacher is in relation to their familiarity with technology. I am always constantly looking to improve in learning technology that I think it is unique to have a Innovation Curve relating to it.

Although I found many other topics interesting, the last one I am writing about is how technology enhances learning. There are many different technology improvements so that is why I found this interesting to explain how digital tools can be used by teachers. 1) Instructional practices "are methods of teaching during which the teacher is interacting directly with students". 2) Administrative/professional activities "are the planning, organizing, and recordkeeping activities teachers need to perform to support the direct instruction of students" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014). An example of this is keeping hold of academic records using certain software. Although it may seem difficult to learn a new software or program, I feel like adopting new technology enhances learning for not only the student but teacher as well.

Chapter 2 opened up my mind to more advances in technology and the importance of student and teaching interaction with technology. It also made me realize how much technology I actually do use at the daycare I work at. For example, there are certain programs that serve as "social networks" for students in which parents can check up and see how their student is doing. Teachers can post crafts and updates on the student. I will continue to learn how important programs like this are, and incorporate them more in every day work!

References
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.

Digital Blog Post #A

Three Concepts to Reflect

As I sat in the coffee shop beginning to read Chapter 1 of the textbook "Transforming Learning with New Technologies",  the word IGeneration automatically caught my undivided attention. According to the textbook, the IGeneration is referred to as the "youngsters who have grown up using computers, the Internet, and other digital media as constant features of their daily lives" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014). Growing up in the IGeneration myself, I found it quite interesting to read the term. True, there has always been cell phones and computers in my generation but it was never something I thought of before. Surprisingly, 95% of 12- to 17- year olds are use social media and social networking online sites. Along with 80% of adolescents use some of the most popular sites such as Twitter and Facebook (Lenhart, Madden, Smith, Purcell, Zickuhr, & Rainie, 2011). Reading these statistics, I also came across the thought that the number can continually increase. Other social networks are coming in to play and so is the younger generation.

Being a preschool teacher myself, I found this term very useful and educational. Technology-based teaching tools, as defined by the textbook,  "allows teachers to do less whole-group instruction" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014). Even though I might rather provide my students with more one-on-one instruction, certain software during computer time in class can be helpful and also be a different learning style for students. Something I found interesting stated in the book was "technology gives individuals the voice, confidence, and means to show what they know" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014).

Reading later in the chapter, I came across the term "Digital Identity". Digital Identity "refers to your technology talents and competencies--what you know how to do instructionally and professionally with computers and other new interactive technologies" (Maloy, Verock-O'Laoghlin, Edwards,  & Woolf, 2014). Although my digital identity may not be savvy, I still find it interesting how professionals and educators are building a larger digital identity every day. Hopefully as I continue on with this class, I end the semester with a educated and more innovative digital identity.

After reading chapter one of this book, I hope as a student I will develop a larger capacity to include technology in my classroom. As a preschool teacher, I will inform my blog readers of how my classroom improves using the information I learn throughout the semester. Already I learned the importance of the IGeneration and how it affects how teachers use tools to teach their students. Using technology-based teaching tools, my classroom will hopefully improve and my digital identity will be more educated.

A helpful link I found to get started in incorporating technology in the classroom! http://www.edutopia.org/technology-integration-guide-implementation

This video refers to the IGeneration and what they think of technology in school!


References
Maloy, R., O'Loughlin, R., Edwards, S., & Woolf, B. (2013). Transforming Learning with New Technologies. 2nd Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.