I personally enjoyed the assignment because I enjoy putting presentations together and using creativity over plain knowledge every once in a while. It took me a while to find a flyer template that I liked, and I really do not like the one I chose that much but I figured I was wasting time so I just chose one. The powerpoint presentation was the most fun for me because you can play with animation, sound, and pictures to make the presentation appropriate for the audience, which in our case, was a class of 6th graders. While doing my undergraduate coursework, I had to put together several powerpoint presentations together and was not able to make them fun because they were supposed to be "professional" and serious since most of my presenations consisted of scientific research such as studies of certain nutrients and their relationship with cancer.
The only problem that I ran into during this portion of the assignment was creating a chart from the data that I plugged into Excel. I spend a great deal of time trying to figure this out. I tried to look at tutorials through MyLabSchool.com and did not even figure out how to work the website. I also went on google and tried to find a tutorial that way. In the end, what I ended up doing was I went into Excel and ended up playing around to figure it out. It probably still did not turn out quite like it was supposed to, but at least I ended up with two charts and I know how to explain them if I were in a meeting with a parent.
Overall, this assignment was fun and definitely incorporated the technology that I will be using in the classroom as a teacher.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Friday, February 12, 2010
Week 5, Ch. 5 & 6, Question 1
What is productivity software? How can it be adapted to benefit teaching and learning? What are the advantages and features of electronic spreadsheets? How do you see them as a benefit in an educational environment?
Productivity software is typically generic business-application software that educators can use and adapt for the administrative and professional tasks they must address. The four major types of productivity software found in most business environments are word processors, electronic spreadsheets, database management systems, and presentation software. This software is easy to use, with each application performing a specific function for the user.
Productivity software can be adapted to benefit teaching and learning in a sense that they enable educators to do their jobs more effectively productively. Some examples of how this software can be used are listed below.
- Word Processing: transparencies used for lecture, activity sheets, posters, study guides, and class notes are a few of the things that can be produced through word processing.
- Electronic Spreadsheets: Provide students with a method for tracking and analyzing data and creating charts from it; support student research such as tracking stock market data
- Database Management Systems: Organize and provide easy access to lists of academic resources or extract and report targeted summaries of content or resources to address student needs
- Presentation Software: Class lecture support, audio and visual elements with special effects; produce transparency masters; create student worksheets to accompany class lectures
The advantages and features of electronic spreadsheets include: Providing students with a method for tracking and analyzing data and creating charts from it; it can also be used to support student research such as tracking stock market data.
I see productivity software as an advantage in the educational environment because it makes research more accessible. This type of software also enables people to be able to finish projects more quickly and exact than they would if this software was not available. I have used this type of software ever since I can remember doing homework and projects. It makes researching and putting together work or a project so much easier.
Productivity software is typically generic business-application software that educators can use and adapt for the administrative and professional tasks they must address. The four major types of productivity software found in most business environments are word processors, electronic spreadsheets, database management systems, and presentation software. This software is easy to use, with each application performing a specific function for the user.
Productivity software can be adapted to benefit teaching and learning in a sense that they enable educators to do their jobs more effectively productively. Some examples of how this software can be used are listed below.
- Word Processing: transparencies used for lecture, activity sheets, posters, study guides, and class notes are a few of the things that can be produced through word processing.
- Electronic Spreadsheets: Provide students with a method for tracking and analyzing data and creating charts from it; support student research such as tracking stock market data
- Database Management Systems: Organize and provide easy access to lists of academic resources or extract and report targeted summaries of content or resources to address student needs
- Presentation Software: Class lecture support, audio and visual elements with special effects; produce transparency masters; create student worksheets to accompany class lectures
The advantages and features of electronic spreadsheets include: Providing students with a method for tracking and analyzing data and creating charts from it; it can also be used to support student research such as tracking stock market data.
I see productivity software as an advantage in the educational environment because it makes research more accessible. This type of software also enables people to be able to finish projects more quickly and exact than they would if this software was not available. I have used this type of software ever since I can remember doing homework and projects. It makes researching and putting together work or a project so much easier.
Monday, February 8, 2010
Week 4, Ch. 3 & 4, Question 3
How do increasing computer power, decreasing size, and wireless communications make technology-enhanced classrooms more flexible? What is a virtual environment? What potential does it hold for education?
Increasing computer power, decreasing size, and wireless communications make technology-enhanced classrooms more flexible. With more powerful technology such as Wi-Fi, a student and/or teacher can access the internet inside or outside throughout the campus. This means the student or teacher can have internet access on his/her computer in any building on the campus grounds as well as the outside area. With a size decrease of a student/teacher's computer, the device in which internet access is available is more portable and can be carried easily throughout the campus.
A virtual environment involves a combination of hardware and software to create a digital environment with which you can interact. Virtual reality software can be used for class projects, classroom tours, virtual fieldtrips and more.
The potential a virtual environment holds so much potential for the classroom. As I mentioned earlier, the class can take virtual fieldtrips without ever having to leave the room, take classroom tours, explore visual museums. With virtual reality software, there is no limit to what the teacher can allow the student to explore.
Increasing computer power, decreasing size, and wireless communications make technology-enhanced classrooms more flexible. With more powerful technology such as Wi-Fi, a student and/or teacher can access the internet inside or outside throughout the campus. This means the student or teacher can have internet access on his/her computer in any building on the campus grounds as well as the outside area. With a size decrease of a student/teacher's computer, the device in which internet access is available is more portable and can be carried easily throughout the campus.
A virtual environment involves a combination of hardware and software to create a digital environment with which you can interact. Virtual reality software can be used for class projects, classroom tours, virtual fieldtrips and more.
The potential a virtual environment holds so much potential for the classroom. As I mentioned earlier, the class can take virtual fieldtrips without ever having to leave the room, take classroom tours, explore visual museums. With virtual reality software, there is no limit to what the teacher can allow the student to explore.
Week 3, Chapter 2, Reflection Question 2
What is the difference between formative feedback and summative feedback?
Formative feedback occurs during an event or process. This feedback is given continuously during the event or process so to ensure that everything can run smoothly and a continuous flow of information takes place. For example, say you were a Biology teacher teaching a lesson on cells. To ensure that the students are learning what you are teaching, a teacher may do various things to check for understanding. He or she may ask the students verbally during the process of teaching a lesson if they have any specific questions on the function of an organelle in the cell, hand out a short answer worksheet to check for specific things that he or she should recap on during the next lecture, etc... Within the DID model, formative feedback is gathered while the process unfolds so that midcourse corrections can be made.
Summative feedback is built into the DID process and occurs at the end of a process. The summative feedback is a way to review the process after the event has already occurred. This basically means the summative feedback is a final check after all of the steps of the process are completed.
Formative feedback occurs during an event or process. This feedback is given continuously during the event or process so to ensure that everything can run smoothly and a continuous flow of information takes place. For example, say you were a Biology teacher teaching a lesson on cells. To ensure that the students are learning what you are teaching, a teacher may do various things to check for understanding. He or she may ask the students verbally during the process of teaching a lesson if they have any specific questions on the function of an organelle in the cell, hand out a short answer worksheet to check for specific things that he or she should recap on during the next lecture, etc... Within the DID model, formative feedback is gathered while the process unfolds so that midcourse corrections can be made.
Summative feedback is built into the DID process and occurs at the end of a process. The summative feedback is a way to review the process after the event has already occurred. This basically means the summative feedback is a final check after all of the steps of the process are completed.
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