Design - Infographic ILP

I designed an infographic for my second ILP using a site called canva.com. The website is very similar to the Weebly site that we used to create our class webpages a few weeks ago. Many of the design options are drag-and-drop, and teachers can quickly customize the infographic with information from their lesson(s). The templates and customization aspects are very user friendly and easy to learn. The created infographics can be made public and/or shared directly via social media and email.

Infographics should be a great tool to use in social studies to create quick-look study guides and to deliver new content. The unique designs of infographics give the students something more to look at than typical study guides. What do you think about the infographic below? Do you think students would enjoy using something like this to compliment the traditional note taking and lecturing associated with history classes?

Football Games

https://fsu.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_29PX7x5H3fSr9CR

10 - The Finish Line

Data collection tools can be very useful for me to use in the future as a high school history teacher. I think it is a good idea to survey the students before each lesson to discover what concepts they're already comfortable with. These surveys can help me adapt the lesson plans to be more effective by not wasting time on ideas that the students already know and instead developing on new ideas and concepts. Data collection results can also help me determine what resources the students found to be the most useful. Again, receiving feedback from the students can help me adjust and continue to increase the efficiency of my teaching methods.

The aspect that I found most interesting from reviewing classmates' blogs was the assignment screen shots and descriptions. I feel that I lack some of the creativity that others have, and I was able to view different techniques and options that others chose throughout the semester. I also found it interesting that we were all able to find different resources online. The fact that we were all able to find unique resources shows the vast amount of options online. The blog assignments were actually a lot more useful than I thought they were going to be because of the different points of view that we brought to the posts. I think a similar blog or discussion board will be useful in my future classroom for students to share ideas, designs, and websites like we did.

The technology related skill that I wish to continue developing is webpage creation. Students are very comfortable online and a well designed class webpage may help increase student interaction and motivation. More specifically, I hope to work on creating videos and recordings to post as resources online. Since I plan to teach history, I believe that videos and interactive aspects of a class webpage would help increase interest in a traditionally "boring" subject.

I hope to attend seminars and conferences in order to achieve my future educational technology goals. Learning from other teachers may be one of the best ways to implement new technology in an effective way. Furthermore, I will definitely be using lynda.com to view tutorials and learn about creative ways to increase technology use in my lesson plans. There seem to be countless ways to use technology in the classroom and we'll all need to continue to learn in order to not be left behind.

9 - Flipped Classroom

The flipped classroom originated with teachers Aaron Sams and Jonathan Bergman. According to chapter 10, the teachers would assign lectured content as the homework rather than lecturing in class. Students would need access to online resources outside of the classroom for this delivery method. The teachers can then build upon the ideas introduced during the prerecorded lectures that were viewed the night before. The book also mentions that there are many ways to apply the flipped classroom. I think that this method is similar to our class when we listen to informational podcasts and then apply the new knowledge to assignments in class. Please click here for an example of an instructional video for a flipped social studies classroom

A useful online resource that I found for teacher professional development is teachervision.com. The website has lesson plans, articles, educational material, and videos that teachers can use to improve themselves and their classrooms. Teachers can even select their specific grade level and subject to find relevant resources quickly. I plan to use the site in the future for ideas and support as I develop my lesson plans and teaching skills.

The thing I liked most about the PowerPoint Interaction assignment was the customization aspect. My partner and I used a template to start the project, but we adjusted the layout to fit the needs of our game. There was much trail and error applied to the creation of the assignment. I learned a lot of new PowerPoint capabilities just as disabling the linear navigation and utilizing action buttons to support the organization of the slides. I had already planned to use games and interactive activities in my future history classes, and now I have the skills to develop those resources with confidence. 

8 - Digital Divide and PowerPoint

Of the technologies described in chapter 12, I believe augmented reality holds the biggest promise for education. The text discusses the association between augmented reality and virtual reality. Both technologies allow the user to interact with the environment. This aspect alone would enhance user participation and allow students to elaborate on new information. Students can have more control over what they learn and guide the curriculum to subjects that interest them. The technology also continues to progress and prices are becoming more affordable for schools.

After listening to the "Digital Divide" podcast, I know that I am on the side with abundant computer access. I have had a computer with internet access in my home since I was very young. I do find that it is easier to use some software, like Microsoft Office, by staying at one of our school's computer labs, but overall I have never struggled to stay connected. In my future classroom I plan to be aware of the divide and to address the needs of all of my students. I will adjust lesson plans to give students time in class to work on any computer-based assignments. I will avoid giving homework that may cause some students to put at a disadvantage. Computers are becoming more and more ubiquitous, but there will always be some students that don't have the same resources at home. I will also push for school budgets to address the computer and technology needs of my classroom.

The main skill that I learned during the PowerPoint for Information Dissemination assignment was the voice-over capability. I have used PowerPoint for many school assignments in the past, but I had never created a complete presentation with the narration included. I also used the SmartArt function for the first time. These tools help make the presentation more interesting and efficient. The complete show with audio included allows teachers and students to post and share the presentation online. I plan to use the new PowerPoint skills to post notes and reviews for my students on class webpages.

7 - Bloom's Taxonomy and Web Page

The use of PowerPoint can be applied to each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. An American History class scenario will be used for the examples. The first step of the taxonomy is "remembering", for which PowerPoint can be used to list important terms, names, and dates for the particular section of American history. Students can recite the list and copy the information down for use later in the lesson.  For the "understanding" level, definitions and simple concepts can be displayed on the slides. Graphics may also add to the understanding of main ideas. Next, the multimedia aspect of PowerPoint can be used for the "applying" level. Maps and videos can be included on the slides to add to the concepts of the lesson. Students can then apply dates and key terms to what they're seeing. Progressive maps that show military movements during the Revolutionary War would also lead students into the "analyzing" level. Students would begin to see more complex concepts and analyze the cause and effect of battles throughout the war. For the "evaluating" level, questions and activities can be included in PowerPoint to allow students to make judgements based on how the war progresses. Students may also develop ideas of what military action may have been more or less effective in hindsight. Finally, PowerPoint can easily be used by students for the "creating" level. Students can make their own presentations to elaborate on a particular event or battle. The information gathered throughout the lesson can be applied to the slide creation as students develop upon the material.

Adaptive technologies are important for students with disabilities. The podcast explains that adaptive technologies are used to modify input and output options for students based on their computing needs and capabilities. One example would be voice recognition software for students that may be unable to type. The technology would be adjusted to the particular student as the software begins to recognize that students speech patterns. I have never seen this type of adaptive technology used in the classroom, but I must assume that it may have associated challenges. For example, if the class is expected to complete essay questions on a computer-based exam, the student using voice recognition software would have to take the test in a separate location so that the other students don't hear his/her answers. Chapter 4 of the text also mentions a potentially distracting addition to the classroom. Screen readers may be great for visually impaired students, but the software may cause issues with focus. Either the entire class will hear the screen reader as it performs or the impaired student will wear headphones and potentially miss out on other verbal instruction.

I learned a lot of new skills while working on the Web Page assignment. The software was fairly user friendly and I am now aware of how easy it is for teachers to include webpages for their teaching effectiveness. I like the use of a class webpage to disseminate news and deadlines to students and parents. I will need to work on the creative aspect of webpage design in order to build a site that is both aesthetic and practical. I plan to use feedback from parents and students to tweak the layout and information to fit their needs and wants. You can check out my website in the screenshots below or by clicking here.

ILP Participation - "Teacher Tips" (Lynda)

The lynda.com tutorial titled "Teacher Tips" by Aaron Quigley is a great tool for all teacher types. New teachers can learn about ways to use technology to improve their efficiency and effectiveness in the classroom. Experienced teachers can also use the tutorial to modify their existing lesson plans.

 

The tutorial covers many different online tools such as Prezi, Edmodo, Evernote, and others. However, what I found more interesting were the tips for realistically applying technology to the classroom. The tutorial includes segments like "Funding Classroom Projects" and several tips for finding and sharing lesson plans. Overall, the tutorial has a broad array of topics that users can view and apply in their classroom. Educators can also use the tutorial to guide their students for safe and successful activity online.

The tutorial was especially useful for situations that teachers may not think of until they occur. For example, one section had a walk through for building a class website similar to the assignment we completed in class two weeks ago. The lesson then continues by showcasing a use for the tool such as posting assignments for students to view and complete over Winter Break. The tips for how to utilize the tools in the classroom captured my attention and made the tutorial very effective.

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