TECHnically

Today was the last day of my TECHNOLY IN EDUCATION class.  I cannot believe 10 weeks have gone by so fast.  I remember when I first entered this class I was so uncomfortable with the WORLD WIDE WEB.  I would not venture past MicroSoft Office documents, e*mail and GOOGLing weekly sales papers.  However, while I am no tech expert, after being introduced to so many cool Tech Tools, I must say it is not as scary as I thought and I am much more comfortable. 

 

Did you know INTERNET EXPLORER is not the only web browser - so skip those constant error messages and try CHROME (a google browser) or FireFOX? Did you know your 'favorites' do not have to be bound to your desktop or laptop - you can actually take your 'favorites' with you by downloading them onto a bookmarking website such as symbaloo and diigo.  And guess what you can even download your personal documents onto the web - Good Bye eighteen flash drives that I have no idea what is on until I insert each one.  So now if your computer crashes (which I hope it does not, at least you will have your stuff).  I also did cool things like created a digital story, a Professional Web Page, a BLOG and a TWITTER (which I have yet to tweet on - maybe I will do it after this blog post).  I also learned some cool tools to use in my class such as PREZI which is PowerPoint on steroids.  Two of my favorite tech tools are corkboard.me and blabberize.

 
I am just so excited about the all technology I was introduced to and look forward to using most, if not all, of it in the class once I become a teacher.  For me the end of this class is bittersweet but for my daughter it may just be sweet because now she does not have to worry about me interrupting her while she is doing her homework to come and look at the new cool tech tool I just used. 

 

…..and P.S. my technology learning is not over - I just learned how to hyperlink this stuff (without you seeing all the HTTP stuff) so you can click on and see the cool tech tools I am talking about.

 

Until next time….. 

POPPLET

Keeping up with the times – technology times that is.  This weekend my students have math homework but thanks to a cool tech tool POPPLET, they do not have to carry their HUGE math book home.  Instead, I posted some math equations on this website – so they can work on their homework wherever they are this weekend.  No more excuses of I forgot to take my book home Ms. Gartley or I forgot the page numbers.  However, as I am sitting here typing this blog, I just thought of the next excuse - I forgot the website address (I will be right back.  I need to open another window and send my students an e*mail reminding them of the website address).   ok, I am back.  I would strongly encourage you to try this website; it is free and very easy to navigate through.  As a math teacher, in addition to using it for assignments, I can also use it to teach them cool math tricks, short cuts and play math games.

Please feel free to use the attached link to explore this Cool Tech Tool:  POPPLET

http://popplet.com/

http://popplet.com/app/#/574020

WORD ART

Tired of looking at the blank walls in your class?  Can’t think of a new way to decorate your classroom?  How about letting your students create art for your room using WORD CLOUDS.  Today I used WORDLE to create a word cloud.  With this tool I submitted a collage of words related to math, using the words that I wanted to stand out more, most often.  Once I submitted the words the website formatted them for me.  You can have the website rearrange them for you until you get a layout you are happy with (that is one of the downfalls - you cannot do a custom arrangement).  Another way to use this website is to have you students create a word cloud based on a subject you are teaching.  For instance, at this time my students are working on solving equations.  Some words related to equations are substitution, addition, linear, slope, axis, parallel and etc (which reminds me of another flaw-you can only do single word.  You will not be successful trying to do words such as ‘right angle’).

 

However, this is a free tool.  It is fun and you can be as creative as you like. 

 

  http://www.wordle.net/

LET'S BLAB

Let’s Blab…..today I introduced blabberize to my students.  Blabberize is an awesome and fun web tool.  Blabberize animates a picture of your choice.  Using your voice or the voice of someone else you can provide your students with information, offer them encouragement (especially during ISAT prep season), and give them assignments and/or extra credit in a fun way (although we know our students never consider homework fun).  I also like this website because it allows my students to see the fun side of me; it gives them the opportunity to see I am NOT always serious and that I want them to enjoy learning.  The website was fairly easy to navigate, as it prompts you step by step.

 

** If you are not comfortable with public speaking, I suggest you write your script out.  Watch some of the other blabs as they are funny and/or informative. 
 

Let’s Blab….have fun…be creative.    

 

http://blabberize.com/
 

USING TECHNOLOGY IN THE CLASS

Good morning students.  Take out your History book and turn to chapter 2.  Remember the monotone of your teacher as he went through the history lesson and how after about ten minutes you tuned him out, started doodling on your paper, thinking about what you were going to do when you got out of school, looking at the clock thinking to yourself – 35 more minutes and then this class is over.  Then came exam day and you did not have a clue about the material on the test because you tuned out on lecture day.  SURPRISE! SURPRISE! can you believe the same thing is happening in the classrooms today - some of YOUR students are tuning out YOUR lectures.... 

However do you realize you have a tool at your disposal that teachers of the past did not have – TECHNOLOGY.  Research has shown that many students have personal technology devices or access to technology.  Today I was reading a tweet from EdTech, in it he provided various ways to use technology in the classroom in an effort to engage students in the learning process.
 

One of the things I find most helpful about the Leaning Management System is the fact that because it is interactive it helps teachers better gage what concepts the students are getting in real time.  As a teacher I think understanding what concepts students are getting in real time will help us determine if it is time to move on to the next lesson or if we need to continue on with the lesson and possibly change our teaching technique for that lesson, versus finding out when we grade falling exams that our teaching strategy for this particular lesson did not work.

The author explains Learning Management Systems in the following way.

Learning Management Systems uses a variety of technology tools to keep students interested in the subject being taught.  These systems may combine the use of online videos, clickers, managing groups, and blackboards to encourage class participation.  Teachers can monitor students’ responses and upload related material within seconds to every student’s monitor or tablet.

Educational Technology Instigates Learning

Using educational technology in your classroom will instigate learning among your students, encouraging them to explore the world around them and think about what they are seeing and hearing. Ideas of how to engage students that partner excellently with LMS are discussed thoroughly by Jeff Dunn on edudemic.com in a recent and well utilized article. His approach to learning is based around the ideas that though we have these tools to use, there are still ways to keep students engaged instead of distracted.

Personal Response Systems

Personal response systems, also simply known as clickers, are an effective tool in the classroom. Similar to those used on game shows, you can show students a question on the large screen and then ask them to click in their answer. The answers immediately alert you to concepts that the students are struggling with, so that you can slow down the day’s lesson to explain the concept in greater detail. In this way, instruction becomes more customized and students will be able to comprehend issues that in a traditional setting they would have struggled with.

Desktop Sharing

Every teacher has at least one or two students (maybe more) in their class who never speak up. For some students, the idea of speaking out loud in a classroom is just too stressful. For others, they may worry that students will laugh at them, or they may struggle with putting their thoughts into speech. Desktop sharing can bridge those gaps, giving students another alternative to speaking—writing. Writing gives students time to think about what they want to say and then correct their speech as they write down their opinion, strengthening their writing skills.

Presentation Technology

Technology can encourage the creative side of your students. For example, you could form groups and then assign them to come up with a presentation of a specific concept, or topic, using technology. This gives students the opportunity to apply what you have been teaching them and then expand upon the information, conducting independent research and putting that data into a visual presentation using a variety of programs. Students learn to work together, preparing them for a work environment, and gives them experience with public speaking while letting them put their own angle on the subject.

 

http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-to-get-students-to-pay-attention.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EducationalTechnologyGuy+%28Educational+Technology+Guy%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

STAGES

Technology and me.  Where am I?  I consider myself to be between stage 2 (adoption) and stage 3 (adaptation) both personally and professionally.  I am a person who would be reluctant to let students use computers since I may not be able to help them troubleshoot problems.  Being a person who comes from Corporate America, I hear the grunts of the IT department when people who are not tech savvy call them for technical support, especially when they consider the problem to be simple.  This has contributed to my desire to stay in my comfort zone of technology versus exploring the many technology tools out there. 

However, because I am very comfortable with the word processing element of technology, I would have no problem with letting my students use this element of technology.  I am hoping this class helps me become more with the World Wide Web element of technology for my benefit and the benefit of my future students.
 

RESEARCH

Reflecting on some of the research that was presented in class I was very surprised by Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up research on school age children personal access to mobile devices.  Particularly I was surprised to see how many children in grades K-2 have technology devices, especially laptops and cell/smart phones.  Additionally, I was surprised by the fact that when it comes to tablets more 6-8 grade students have them than students in 9-12 grade.  In regards to their research on the use social media, I am once again surprised, I expected for the percentage of high school students using social media to be higher. 

I think this research is very helpful, especially for a person like me who is not in the classroom and is not necessarily technology savvy.  This research helps me understand how the role of educator has changed over the years.  It also helps me realize that technology can be a great tool for teaching students across the whole spectrum of educational levels. 

I do not think the research portrayed the students negatively or positively.  I think it is a true reflection of where our technology future is headed and how we as educators need to catch up with changing time.