Streaming Videos

We learned about the use of streaming videos in the classroom. There are many website which offer videos, to teachers, about various subjects. When looking through the sites I found videos on the Civil War, Math, Science, Technology, English and a numerous amount of other subjects. These videos are very useful in the classroom becuase it engages student interest. Students learn better when they are more interested. More often than not students are more interested in watching a video than listening to their teacher speak. It is possible to find a video online for any subject, therefore the classroom experience will be more enjoyable for students.

Blogs

Blogs are very helpful in education. I just recently learned about their use in education this year in my Learning Through Technology class. Requiring students to maintain a blog and have a certain number of entries is a great way to check up that they are learning and understanding the material. Teachers require students to reflect on what they have learned, so they can assess what the student is actually learning and what they are getting out of the lessons. It is also helpful because when teaching about controversial topics the teacher can learn and understand the students viewpoint and how they feel about the subject. Blogs are very beneficial to use in the classroom for all of these reasons. From experience, as a student, blogs are enjoyable, not demanding, as many other forms of schoolwork are. Writing in my blog didnt seem as much of a task as it did an opportunity to express my own opinions and write my own thoughts down.

USB Flash Drives

When I came to college, I realized the importance of saving all of my work, papers, project, etc. Using a USB flash drive made this concept a lot easier for students. Flash drives are the equivalent of a floppy disk, except they hold over a hundred times more information in the palm of your hand. They are very convenient, about the size of a thumb. I find my flash drive very useful, using it almost every day. It makes saving my work, and bringing it into class much easier. I am able to share information from my laptop to my teachers computer, either in their office or the classroom. Many people use flash drives, business men, teachers, many types of workers, however I feel that student use is the most common. Almost all of my classmates and friends at college have a flash drive that they use on a daily basis. It is a simpler way to share information between classmates, group mates, etc. Personally, I like the idea of flash drives, I feel they are very beneficial for students to use, especially in college.

Online Grading

In my Foundations of Education class, I learned about an online grading system. I thought it was very interesting. A man came into my class to talk about the system and how it works. He said that the teacher puts the childrens grades in online, on the system, and also puts in the parents email address. If the parents ask, the teacher is able to email weekly assessments and grades to the parents, or they are able to email the parents if the students grades being to noticably drop, or behavior changes. The system automatically emails the parents in the case of a noticable drop in grades, because the parents should know about their childs progress. This is more beneficial than sending out weekly progress reports becuase it is much less time consuming. As with the assessement, if it takes a shorter amount of time, then it is able to be done more often. I think it is important that the parents be updated on their childs progress, especially in the case of special education. For children with special needs, there needs to be a big focus on the communication between the parents and the teacher. This is very important to the success of the child, becuase practices and issues at home often roll over into the classroom and vice versa. I feel that an online grading system makes it easier for the teacher to keep track of all of their students grades as well as stay in constant communication with the parents which is very important.

Internet in the Classroom

Recently my spanish teacher has introduced the use of the internet into our classroom. I think that this is a great idea. Our textbook has a website, on which they have voice recording and "lab manual" tasks in which we are able to hear spanish speaking voices and answer questions based on what we hear. I feel that it is very beneficial because instead of just reading and understanding, we are now able to hear and speak it as part of practice. Particularly when it comes to learning a new language, it is necessary to practice becuase the more you speak it and hear it, the more you learn and understand it. This is an example of integrating technology into the classroom and it has proven to be very beneificial.

Assessment

Recently, with the growing speed of technology, assessment of students is becoming easier and easier. Many teachers and schools have opted to use web-based assessments to assess the success of learning in each student. As I was reading an article online titled, "A Look at Web Based Assessments" I learned that many companies now are offering assessments online and they are becoming more and more popular. Some of the best assessment programs are easily adaptable to local curriculum and are focused on the recording and assessment of student behavior, rather than academic progress. The best of these allow teachers to develop their own tests or forms and usually include a databank of questions or other assessment tools. Most are aligned with various state and national standards. This article also gives links to web based assessment websites, which I found very helpful. I feel that these assessments are very beneficial becuase of the speed of them. Having a faster assessment system allows teachers to assess students educational growth that much more, giving them more insight into their education. Having the teachers assess the students every month, or every few weeks, instead of every year, or half year, is much more effective.

Portfolio

Creating a portfolio at the end of a semester, or year, is very beneficial. Portfolios give the teachers an idea of the success of the semester or year. They are able to view what the student learned and what the student still needs to work on in the coming year. Creating an online portfolio was interesting, and fun, yet very beneficial. This was required of us in my Learning Through Technology class. I felt that it helped me to sum up the semester. It helped me to put everything that I have learned this semester into one file. Throughout the rest of my college career, and even into my teaching career, I will be able to look back at my portfolio and view many important ideas. For example, I have included in my portfolio the New York State standards for teaching, as well as the ISTE standards for teaching. If I ever need to look back and view these standards, they are within easy access on my computer. I feel that creating a blog was more beneficial than taking a final exam because I was required to view and express my opinions on each topic covered in class this semester as well as include examples of my work done. It was a very rewarding opportunity to display my education and successes.

Multiple Intelligences

In our online class in Elluminate, our teacher introduced Gardners Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Gardner says there are at least eight different and relatively independent types of intelligence: linguistic, musical, logical-mathematical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and naturalists. According to Gardner's theory, IQ tests cannot judge all students abilities to learn, and traditional academic tasks may not reflect true ability. Because students have different intelligences it is important to incorporate each, or at least a few, into lesson plans. For example, doing group work is effective, multimedia projects, assigning students group roles based on their type of intelligence. Technology allows us to determine which type of learner we are, and different ways in which to express our intelligences. Using technology in the classroom is beneficial, especially when it comes to students posessing different types of intelligences.

Direct vs. Indirect Instruction

Direct and indirect instruction are examples of two learning theories. Both theories stress different aspects of student learning. Direct instruction stresses individualized student work. Teachers who beleive in direct instruction tend to lecture students, and give them worksheets to do on their own. These teachers transmit a set of skills or knowledge to the student. They hand them the informtion that they need to know. Indirect instruction requires the students to generate their own knowledge. This view expresses that students gain knowledge through experiences and real-life situations. Many teachers beleiving in this theory propose "what if?" questions to their students to get them to think outside of the box. Non traditional methods of teaching are used with indirect instruction. More videos are shown, more technology is incorporated into the lesson plans. Indirect instruction stresses group work, and cooperative work, so that students can learn from eachother. Personally, I believe that indirect instruction is a more effective way to teach. Students learn a lot from eachother, and even more from experience. I feel that listening to a teacher speak about a subject is a very big waste of time, and that students actually participating in discussions, and seeing what they are learning about is more useful. When I become a teacher, my classroom will be based on indirect instruction because students will find it more interesting and I feel that student interest is the most important key to their success.

Second Life

In our Learning Through Technology class, our teacher introduced us to Second Life. Second Life is a social networking program in which each user creates a "second life" for themselves. There are different islands in which the user can explore and meet new people. Just like other social-working sites people become "friends" and can communicate through Second Life. It is rapidly becoming popular and people are investing a lot of time and effort into this program. People are encouraged, and allowed, to make money off of Second Life. It is possible to obtain a job, purchase items, and gamble all by entering your credit card number. While many people may see this as a great opportuinty to meet people and make money, and create a completely new life for themself, I feel that it is rather strange. Personally, I found Second Life complicated and confusing. Im sure with more practice and access to the program I would be more comfortable, but the idea of creating a whole new life for myself through a computer is not something I think that I would enjoy doing. Overall, being introduced to Second Life was a great opportunity to learn something new, and to learn about the lifestyles of other people, but I do not see myself going back to the site in the future.