Blog Journal #10

After reviewing a few blog journals I came across Melissa's, and I found hers to be very different and interesting because all the others seemed to be completely repetitive. Not only between every person's journal was it repetitive, each person's journal themselves was repetitive. The questions for the blog journals are basically the same from one journal to the next. I feel I would have found them to be more interesting if the questions were more stimulating. It seemed as if everyone wanted to just get credit for doing the assignment, myself included. I think that the questions should be altered so that the responses are different from blog journal to journal of the individual person.

I believe that I have gained an adequate knowledge of different technology devices in this class. Although I do not believe we spent enough time learning about creating websites therefore I would like to learn more about that. The internet is the wave of the future! Everything is now transferring to the internet therefore I believe it would be a great idea to connect the children to the classroom when they are at home. In addition to the internet, homework seems to increase as well. So when the children go home they can log on and stay connected to the class, and know exactly what is expected of them.

One way in which I plan to achieve my educational technology goals is by integrating it in to my curriculum as much as possible. Because I grew up with technology in my everyday life I believe it will help me when trying to create interesting and interactive lesson plans. When creative a teacher can integrate technology into the classroom in a fun way, even when there is not technology for every student.

Blog Journal #9

One website that I found very interesting and that would be useful as as future teacher is National Geographic for Kids.

http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/

This website is very informative and makes learning fun and interactive. On this site children can do activities, play games, watch videos, read stories, and so much more. This makes learning different and interesting. It gets boring for a child, or anyone, to simply read facts from a book. Although when you are interactive in the learning it is much more engaging, and you do not even realize that it is an educational site. I find it to be a very good website because the children do not even realize that they are learning while they are surfing through the website.

For example as I was looking around through the site I came across a section that said "games". Kids are instantly attracted to games so I decided to click on it to see what it was all about. It had numerous games with catchy names that would reinforce material learned in science class.

The technology related skill that I would like to learn is how to create an good interactive website for my students. I know the basic skill for creating a website, but I am sure that there are many things that I can do in order to make it more interesting and user-friendly.

Ways that I will achieve my technology related goals when I enter the college of education. I am sure that there are many classes in which I will be required to create websites. And I believe that the best way to learn something is to actually do it. Therefore while doing future projects I will be perfecting a skill that will greatly help me as a teacher.

Research Prompt #3

Each week I decide to spend the most time on whatever is necessary for that week. It seems that teachers just so happen to give all the same type of work around the same time. So in one week I have all my tests, and therefore are studying for those tests. In other weeks I have many chapters to read for each class so I spend my time reading. It seems that this week I have many papers, essays, and projects to do so I spend my time doing things of this sort. I usually do what I intend to do, although sometimes I get side tracked and end up putting on a movie or going on facebook. If I am doing work for too many hours in a row then I get anxious and need a break, so I do something else for a few minutes and that turns into hours. But I have recently discovered a way to stay focused that I never use to do before, the library.

Until this week I didn't know that the library could help me stay so focused on my work. I am not sure what it is, but lately when I go to the library I seem to stay focused on my work for much longer. It may be something about the atmosphere, less distractions, or the fact that everyone else in there is doing work also. I never use to go to the library to study but I have come to realize that it is good to get out of your room to study. Cause your room and apartment is where I have fun, so the library is a place where I can go to study and focus on school work.

So far in this class, I have figured out that to understand what’s going on, I have to. . . write everything down! If I do not write something in my agenda I will not remember to do it. It helps me to organize my life, if I write a to do list.

Research Promt #2

My work for this class paid off because I did not have to work on my project as much this week. I had gotten enough done last week that all it only took me approximately 20 minutes to complete it. This week I will go to the library again to complete my work because I feel like I got more work done there. I have a certain level of concentration there that helps me to focus because there are less distractions. One thing I will change is I will try to complete my work in one sitting because once I stop working on my project I loose focus, and to get back into it is hard for me.

Because this weeks project was the same as last weeks project I basically got the same out of last weeks project. This class is all about learning new forms of technology or perfecting skills we already know on the computer. In class we learn about the software that we are going to be using and are taught something from it that we probably did not know before. Then I take what was taught in class and apply it to the project for the week.

Research Promt #1

Introduction to Educational Technology is a required course for my major. I am an elementary education major and therefore have to take this course.

The assignment I worked on this week was a non linear power point. I had to create a power point, or game, in order to instruct the students or reinforce a lesson. The thing that made this power point different is it could not simply go from one slide to the next. There has to be active buttons that lead you to a slide that is not necessarily the next slide when it was created. I began a power point for early elementary students where they had to follow the clues for the treasure hunt in order get to the treasure. It is not required to finish the power point in class, and on this project wee had two weeks to complete it. So I began the power point in class in order to get the hang of how to create these active buttons. Through out the week I went to the library in order to finish the power point because my computer had a virus.

The most important thing that I learned this week was how to create interesting power points, games, that can help the children to learn. I learned how to create a non linear power point and now will be able to make them for my students.

Blog Journal #8

Chapter eight dealt mostly with security issues, ethics and emerging technologies. One thing that I truly found to be most useful in regards to today’s computers was the section on viruses. Because of many programs today that allow you to download music, movies, pictures, games, and much more it makes it much more likely for you to bring viruses into your computer. Hackers and people that send viruses are becoming more intelligent in the ways they deliver viruses, and they are being more difficult to identify and get rid of. There are many software programs that you can purchase in order to prevent or get rid of viruses, although they must be updated on a regular basis as viruses are becoming increasingly advanced. It is now necessary to inform students about these viruses and several ways that they can attract them in order to prevent a hardship or crash in your computer.

I guess I am the type of person that needs to learn the hard way because since my last blog post I received a virus on my computer and had to send it away to be fixed. I had kept getting pop ups for while stating that my Norton Anti-Virus protection had expired, but I decided to put it off. It was not a very good idea on my part because I attracted a “Trojan” virus and could not get rid of it by simply purchasing Norton again and running it. I had to send my computer back home to Miami, so my family’s computer technician can fix it for me. It is a frustrating problem that I am sure can be fixed by a few simply procedures, but they have to be taught in order for them to be prevented.

I recently discovered that there are many “free” anti-viruses on the internet that you can download, and my recommendation is that you do not use them. There is small print that you should read in detail before downloading it. For example many are only thirty day trials, or they do not protect or even detect all or major viruses. Therefore it is worth the money to go out there and buy one. The only free antivirus downloadable from the internet that I have found to work amazingly well is called AVG. I have it on my desktop in Miami and have never really had a major problem with the computer. I do not know if we have been lucky but the anti-virus has certain protected the computer. AVG is free for an entire year and informs you when there are updates available. Now I know that you should now be lazy when it comes to getting a proper antivirus on your computer because it can cause severe damages to your computer.

Blog Journal #7

In chapter 6 we read about curriculum and ASSURE models. Curriculum is what you teach a class and what points they are expected to know at the end of a certain period of time. ASSURE model stands for:

Analyze learners
State objectives
Select Instructional methods, media, and materials
Utilize methods, media, and materials
Require learner participation
Evaluate and revise

This is a process that teachers now use in order to teach a lesson effectively. ASSURE means that you "A" must know who your students are. What is their grade level and how they learn best. Next you have to say what you want the students to learn, for example set a goal for the students. After you must pick some technology to integrate into your lesson and then use those forms of media. In addition you must have your students participate, and then test their knowledge of everything you have taught.

Some skills I have learned since my last class was how to create a website. The last project was the wiki project, and we had to create a web source with information on any topic teaching other teachers how to instruct a certain topic. It was interesting because I had never created a website before. We inserted information, included pictures, created hyper links to additional helpful web sources, created links to previous pages and the home page, etc. It ended up being a very useful tool. Not only is it helpful to teach teachers how to instruct a certain lesson, but it is useful to post information for your students. As a teacher you can create a website that your students can visit for additional help and information.

The internet is a very useful tool. Teachers today can create websites, what we learned to do last class, in order to help students gain additional information online. You can post information that will help students study for a test, it can have links to additional helpful websites, reinforcement information, and many other tools that can help a student learn the lesson. It is a universal tool that can not only be used in the classroom, but can be used at home. If a child forgot a certain piece of information they can look it up on the class website, or they can even possibly check their homework. In addition it is a good way to ensure that your students are always updated with the accurate information. For example there can no longer be any excuses of "I forgot to write my homework down" or "I left my book here in the class room". It will no longer be valid. If a child did either of those two things they would just then go online and get the information they are missing from this website.

Blog Journal #6

Digital Media Software is a program used on a computer that used multimedia elements, that usually include interaction and is therefore referred to also as interactive digital media. Digital Media Software accepts instructions from an input device such as a keyboard, mouse, or microphone and then acts according to those instructions. For example when children play video games today they use a control to tell the computer what to do. These types of interactive programs are made for video games today and computers as well. There are many games that children can play that can help them learn new facts and ideas about any given topic. When playing a game children do not realize that they are learning, and do not resist to playing because they are having fun. These programs that children can learn and play at the same time are called educational software application. These applications help students to reinforce information in an enjoyable way.

The last project that we had to do was the Web Source Evaluation. It helped me to realize that you cannot believe everything you read on the internet because anyone with a computer can create a website. We had to create an evaluation sheet to help students figure out if the web source they are using for their project is a valid source of information. The evaluation included information such as the currency of the website, the authority, the accuracy, the objectivity, and the relevance. A student, or any researcher, should use these five topics before quoting any information from a website.

Not only can children have stimulation in a classroom through the teacher intergrading technology in the classroom, but today the majority of students have programs and applications to help them learn at home. There are many video games and computer software that a child can have at home to help them review a lesson. As a child one of my favorite computer games was Oregon's Trail, and I used to play it all the time. It was a game in which you would go through a town on the east coast, a colony, and buy items to help you move west. You had to buy food and supplies to help your family and friends make it the whole trip west. Then after you have finally bought everything you needed, then you would begin your journey. The game would simulate your trip west, and many events would occur that would happen to the people of that time period. You had to hunt for food, cross rivers, decide what to do when someone died, there were epidemics and disease outbreaks, and all of this helped me to understand the day in the life of a settler who moved west. It is games such as this one that children can play in order help them fully realize the reality and understand the information.

Blog Journal #5

There are many ways today that a teacher can integrate technology, with the help of computers, televisions, smart boards, games, the internet, and so much more. It is no longer necessary to stand in front of the class and just simply lecture for an hour. The internet, for example, has an unlimited supply of games, interesting information, and interactive websites that students can see and it can help stimulate them so they comprehend the lesson more. In many schools today the computer of the teacher is hooked up to a television, overhead projector, or smart board in the front of the classroom to make it visible for the entire class. It is not necessary for every single student to have their own computer. In addition there are many movies and television shows that can help improve a lesson as well. Over the summer I took Teaching Diverse Populations and I had to evaluate a TV show that would help improve a lesson. Therefore I evaluated a children's show that is called Dora the Explorer, and after I watched a few episodes I saw how this could stimulate a child. From one episode alone the child gets reinforcements of memorization, counting, Spanish vocabulary, geography, chronological order, and much more.

The last class we did a project that we had to search the internet for a few specified topics. I learned that you have to carefully word what you search in order too get the exact information that you are looking for. In addition I learned of a few websites that will be very helpful to me when I begin teaching, such as yahooligans.com. Not only are search engines helpful to teachers, but there are websites where teachers post lesson plans online in order to help other teachers with their lessons. As a teacher you do not simply have to rely on the textbook provided by the school, but you can also use technology to add extra information to stimulate the children's minds.

Children today are growing up with technological advancements all around them. They have certain tools that we did not have when we were growing up. In order to help reach them on a personal level, so that you can help then understand a lesson you have to be up to date with the current technology. Children are stimulated by technology, computers, and television therefore that will help them to learn and stay interested. I had an experience with a teacher who simply photocopied worksheets and passed them out to the children in packets. The entire day the students had to complete the worksheet and then they graded it as a class. There was no stimulation, no integrating technology, or anything of that sort. The students dreaded going to class, and did not have any fun in the classroom. I realize that there is a time to work and a time for fun, but wouldn't it be awesome if your students loved your class and couldn't wait to come. If you entertain them with a variety of teaching techniques you will have their attention and cooperation.

Blog Journal #4

The internet is a very helpful tool, and can provide very useful information to make any lesson more interesting and understandable. There are many websites that are useful and have very accurate information, although you have to be careful which website visit because many have false information. The world wide web is a very useful tool, but there is plenty of incorrect information so you have to be careful when you search the internet. A search engine is a website that you can go to in order to look up information on the internet, and there are certain search techniques that are helpful to get better search results. Search Tools help you to locate information anywhere on the web.

Since the last class I have perfected my skills on making lessons fun and interesting for students. No longer is it necessary for a teacher to stand in front of the classroom and just lecture. There are many resources today, such as the internet, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Inspiration, Microsoft Excel, and many more. One of my favorite ways to improve a lesson is to find interesting videos, games, or pictures on the internet. There are thousands of websites, such as timekids.com, that has information and resources.

This does not necessarily have to do with technology, but most people in Educational Techonology are Education majors and I just found out about a scholarship/grant that is given to minority education students and thought some people may be interested. It is called Florida Fund for Minority Teachers, ffmt.org, and you must be a minority student to qualify. They give you $2000 a semester, and you do not have to pay it back. What you have to do in order to recieve the money is write an essay on the specified topic, attend a conference once a year for however many years you receive the money, and work in a public school once you graduate for however many years you receive the money. If you decided to work in a private school once you graduate then all you have to do is pay back the money, with interest. It is a great opportunity for minority students, and if anyone has any questions you should contact the department of education here at Florida State and they will have more specific instructions for you.

Blog Journal #3

Hardware of a computer can be categorized into three different categories: input devices, output devices, and storage media. An input device is anything that allows you, the computer user, to put information into the computer. All input devices are controlled by the human and allows you to communicate certain commands. A few examples of input devices are a keyboard, mouse, scanner, microphone, etc. An output device is a piece of hardware that allows you to view information that is being processed on the computer. A monitor and a printer are examples of output devices. These communicate the information being processed in the computer and allows the outside world to see it. Finally there is storage media, which is an outside piece of equipment, such as a USB or a floppy disk, that allows you to save information on a piece of equipment outside of the computer.

Technology is advancing everyday and with the proper instruction it can help to enhance any lesson. Just in a few years the technology in storage devices has increased drastically. Floppy disks use to be the primary source of storing information, but today we use USB memory sticks. They hold more information than floppy disks, and they are more reliable. In addition input devices have advanced in technology as well. For example now there are wireless keyboards and mice that are just as effective and eliminates a lot of the tangles wires. Output devices, such as monitors, have drastically decreased in size and the quality of the picture has increased. Also the clip art and photos available on Microsoft word have increased in quality.

Some skills that I have acquired since the last class was how to use the program Inspiration. Inspiration is a program that allows you to make outlines, webs, and charts in order for you to organize information and understand it better. I have never used this program before until this class, and I find that it will be very useful to teach certain lessons. In class I learned how to create a web to teach someone "How To" do a certain thing, and we also learned how to create a basic web. When creating the web I learned how to change the shape of the bubbles, change the colors, insert clip are, and more features in order to make it more child-friendly. This is a program that will definitely help to organize information, especially when organizing information from a story or a history lesson among many other subjects.

Blog Journal #2

Three topics from chapter three that I believe will be very useful to me as a teacher are word processing software, software for school and professional use, and presentation graphics software. Word processing software is the most widely used software, and it is used to create, edit, and format documents primarily consisting of text. As a future teacher I will be using this particular type of software to prepare many documents for my students such as tests, quizzes, worksheets, study guides, etc and therefore it is important that I learn how to properly use it so I can use it to my full advantage. The second type of software is software for school and professional use. This software is mainly used in schools as a grade book. It allows teachers to save all the student's grades on the computer, and makes it easier to produce progress reports and final grades for all the quarters. The final software is a presentation graphics software such as Microsoft power point. This allows you to create presentations to share with your class. Technology is advancing a great deal, and it is no longer necessary to use overhead projectors. There are many programs on a computer that are quicker, easier, and a more effective way to present information.

A skill that I last acquired since my last blog was how to create a newsletter, and how to place all the articles on the sheet so it looks appropriate. I perfected different skills on Microsoft Word such as how to put columns on a paper, how to put in word art, how to highlight certain text, how to insert clip art without ruining the layout of the newsletter, and much more. These are features that I will be using alot as a teacher. Although I may not necessarily be making newsletters all the time, the skills that i have learned individually are very important.

Technology is advancing everyday. When I was in grade school we did not have nearly as much access to computer softwares like today or the internet; it was not as prevalent. Now that it has become such a part of our everyday lives it is important to learn the proper way to use the software on the computer. Children today associate with technology and they are stimulated by it. The use of tchnology in the classroom can significantly improve a lesson, and help the children to learn.

Blog Journal #1

A PC, personal computer, is a type of computer that is designed for a person to use mainly in a home or office setting. There are two main types of PCs: personal computers and Macintosh computers. Macintosh computers are created by the Apple Company, while PCs are made by the many other computer manufacturers in the business. Because of the technological advance of computers over the last few years, they have become a vital part of learning in the classroom. As a future teacher I must learn how to successfully integrate computers into the curriculum so my students can benefit from it and absorb as much information. Although all the technology out there will not help a student to learn if they are not motivated. Computers today have multiple different softwares, or computer programs, that can help a teacher get the message across to his or her students. In a school setting usually computers are networked which means all the computers in the school are connected together and therefore share information. In addition to programs, the internet is a huge tool that, if used in the correct way, can significantly improve a lesson. With all the programs, internet, and shared information due to networking, the computer is a huge tool at any teachers disposal if they properly know how to use it.

In class since the last posting we worked on learning our way around Windows XP and Microsoft word. On Microsoft Word we had to create a short test on any topic we desired. One thing I perfected while working on the test was how to apply automatic sequential numbering. I already knew it could be done but it took me a little longer to remember how I can do it, but after working on this exercise it made it a lot easier. In addition i refreshed some basic tools from Windows XP, such as how to use the help option if I do not know how to do something.

I believe that this class will be a tremendous help in teaching us how we can make proper use out of the computer. We will learn to use it to its full potential so that our future students can also get all they can from our lessons. One advantage I think that we have in this generation is we have great resources and technology that were not available when even we were in elementary school. For example now there are computers in every classroom for the students to use that can really help enhance a lesson. In addition they are improving old ways of presenting information. No longer are teachers using projectors that are bulky and taking up too much space, they have smart boards or LCD monitors that are directly hooked up to the computers so the computer screen appears on the giant screen in the front of the classroom. Learning how to use all the details in a computer to their full advantage will truly help us to create interesting lessons for students that will engage them and make them want to learn.

Blog Journal #0

I have a lot of previous experience working with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Ever since I was about ten years old I have taken computer courses in school. The schools I have attended have required me to do many projects using these three programs. In addition I have worked in the office at a summer camp for over 3 years. My job was mainly working on the computer to keep track of the children, payments, and other important information, and Microsoft Excel was used for all of these tasks. Coming into college and being an elementary education major have had to do many projects and papers using these three programs.

Because I have many years of experience working with these programs I hope to perfect my skills while using Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. I hope to learn a few new shortcuts and techniques in order to help me to become a more effective instructor towards my students.

According to the servey i took; overall I am a well balanced learner. No quality or teaching style really benefits me in a drastic way. Although I learned that I am more of a visual learner, and not so much a hands on learner. I tend to grab on to information when it is presented to me in a lecture/discussion setting more than when i try it myself. I am more likely to remember what the teacher said about something than how it actually looks.